Enchanted Hat
by Spiritual Stone
Summary: Everybody has a past, but not everybody's past is haunted with monsters and chains and secrets, not like Link or Sheik. So when Sheik discovers that Link isn't who he thought he was, how will he deal with his unexpected love for the Hero? Not MinishCap.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue **_

Life. It was very, very complicated.

Link rolled a piece of grass in his mouth as he contemplated this, leaning against the wall in his house to stare out the window. Like always it was full of trees, sunlight dappling the leaves to make them catch different colours of green. And like always he was thinking of his unknown past, thinking of his curse that was bestowed upon him the day he had entered the Kokiri forest. Why had it have to be him? To bear such burdens? To be left in the dark of his true identity? Who was he supposed to be? Who was he meant to be?

Link took a deep breath and decided he wanted a snooze; he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the forest, the wind tickling his skin as it intruded through the window. He ignored his own questions, deciding they were useless to brood upon. He was happy with his life, after all. Why question it, and make all the simple things he enjoyed in life much harder for himself?

His fairy Navi scoffed lightly and settled on his head, deciding to follow his example of sleeping. It was sometimes boring in the forest, and the leisurely pace gave them time to relax, time to enjoy themselves in relaxation and sleep. Link smiled as he settled into his wooden house; it was a beautiful day.

His blue eyes were almost identical in colour as his fairy, and they acted like siblings. Sometimes fighting, sometimes being agreeable, sometimes hating each other, and sometimes loving each other as if they were related by blood. His blonde hair was soft for a boy's and girls of the Kokiri tended to whine about that, but he knew better than to say anything back.

He was thirteen, and was a head taller than everybody else and still growing, which brought suspicion to his friends. Kokiri never grew up; they were the age ten until they were sent to the next world by the Deku tree. Immortality was a curse; that was why the Deku tree prevented it from happening to any one of his children.

But growing up just wasn't a Kokiri thing.

Link knew he was Hylian; known that since he'd come back from the seven year travel as the Hero of Time. And he also knew that he wasn't who he really was, whenever he was wearing a hat. It didn't come off unless he wanted it to; even falling from a three story building, it didn't come off. It changed colour to fit the tunic he was wearing, whether it be Goron, Zora, or the yellow Gerudo one which the pirate from Termina had given him as a souvenir. Speaking of the Pirates, they had pierced his ears, which made him more unique in the Kokiri, making them all the more suspicious.

But most importantly, it changed his identity totally. Saria had told him when he was seven, and Link had been able to hide his forced on secret from then on.

"Link!"

Mido. Link forced his eyes open and groaned as the bully screamed out his name. He was the only Kokiri that didn't accept him as a friend of sorts. Link didn't know why, but frankly didn't care. He knew how to fight back with words; he usually won with them too. Link stepped out onto his porch to find that Mido was climbing up the house's ladder, looking very pissed off.

"What is it Mido. I'd think you'd got chased by a Stalfos or something with the racket you're making."

Mido growled as he came up, jabbing a finger at Link's nose, despite the fact that Link was taller than him. "Listen up. You're leaving."

Link scoffed.

"We're serious. You're leaving the village; we don't want Hylians in our midst."

Link had scoffed with disdain, sneering. "How'd you find out?"

"It becomes obvious when you're a head taller than all of us, Link. We're not dumb."

Link rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "For a second I wondered. I'd been here my whole life and you guys hadn't realised. It's almost amazing really."

Mido had growled and swung his fist, and Link had dodged easily. The Kokiri growled again, ignoring the fact that he was trying to fight someone taller than him.

"Wait!" Navi flew out of his hat and buzzed around Mido, alarmed at the possibility of a fight. "Mido don't! Please!"

"Stop it Navi." Link said, cupping a hand around his friend, "I'll leave as soon as I've packed. I'll tell the Deku Tree I'll be going too."

"Oh no you don't!" Mido had fumed, barring his teeth, "The Deku tree is our protector. Not yours. Navi can't come with you either, _she_ belongs with us Kokiri."

Link had narrowed his eyes. "You, listen to me. It's Navi's choice to stay with me or not. I don't care if you tell me to leave, but don't you _dare_ start ordering around my friends. You got that?"

Mido had gulped, and nodded. Link went back into his home and began to pack, leaving Mido to run away. As the Hylian packed, he stopped for a second to look in the mirror, taking off his hat.

There, staring back at him from the glass surface wasn't a boy. It was a girl with soft blonde hair, falling down just below her shoulders. Her blue eyes were still as sharp, but they now had a roundness to them, unlike before. Her lips went from thin and grim to full but grim, adding to her feminine softness. With disdain Lynda returned the hat on her head, turning back to Link. What was the point of returning to your original gender if you didn't know how to act like it? What was the point of changing when you'd lived as a boy for your whole life?

Navi looked at Link sympathetically, swirling around his head. "You know," she said, "You look better as Lynda."

Link scoffed disdainfully again, blue fire in his eyes as he turned away from the mirror. He packed the rest of his bags and left, intending to lend some company to a friend he had lost once he'd returned as the Hero of Time.

Nobody said goodbye to him as he entered the Lost Woods.

* * *

A boy of fourteen rested in his room, swinging a leg over the window sill that he sat on. He wasn't too frightened of the fact that he could fall off the four-story window, nor was he concerned of the fact that the castle guard were hammering at his door, demanding entry.

The boy grinned despite the big trouble he would get into once the guards entered and realised that the only thing stopping an entry had been a simple, wooden, and not to mention cheap, chair. And if that broke under pressure, he always had the wedge to rely on. He'd have plenty of time to drop out of the window and escape. Plenty of time to just let himself fall to the grounds far, far below...

They broke through his first defence; they were onto the next.

He turned he gaze to the door, wondering whether he should jinx it. But then, he didn't really care if they came in or not. All he wanted was to just go home; he had no intention on serving the bloody royal family. Just step onto thin air, and his greatest rebellion would be complete…

A gust of wind tussled his blonde hair, tugging at his scarf. It brought words of warning, or comfort and encouragement only he could hear. Surprise shook him, and then the need to rebel. He was about to shout protests into the wind, but more invisible words flooded him, and he was left in a corner, trapped and defeated.

The door burst open, and he was still alive.

Damn it.

The soldiers were panting from their exertion against the door, and they were not pleased. Their hands lingered on their swords, but instead they either let them drop uselessly to their sides, or just curled their fists. Well, except one of them.

He put out a piece of paper in front of the boy and said, "You're got yourself an assignment, you worthless retch."

The boy looked at the covered face, and then at the paper. He took it and scanned it with crimson eyes, before smirking.

He scrunched it up and threw it over his shoulder, and the piece of paper burned itself to ash in midair.

The soldiers cringed when the Sheikah said, "So, what's in it for me?"

* * *

**Hello, readers! If you're new, please review! I greatly appreciate your comments and would love to hear them. Flame me if you want, I'll read it and then fire right back! Ahaha. **

**Anyway, please review. Tell me if you don't like it, or like it, or have some morsel of opinion. **

**Thank you. **

**S.S. **


	2. Meeting

**_The Meeting_**

Sheik sighed as he scratched the top of his head, which was free and flying loosely in the wind. His red eyes looked at the entrance to the Lost woods and groaned, shaking his head. The last time he had been ordered to enter there was a month ago, and he had been lost there half the time -- hence the name, 'Lost Woods' -- just barely surviving against Stalfos. Sheik regretted not checking up on those before he had entered; turned out the lost became walking skeletons as soon as the forest's curse came into action.

Sheik took a calming breath and stepped in; making sure that his harp was still strapped to his back. The Prelude of Light was to bring him back if he ever got himself caught in trouble, and he was to go back into the forest again if he failed to find the Princess. Life sucked with being bound to the Royal Family you didn't even like.

War had been brewing since the Queen had gotten sick. The King had promised to return Sheikah grounds to the Shadow People as soon as the war from seven years ago had been finished. With the promise in mind the Sheikah had fought with the Hylians, experiencing great loss in number in the process. But the King had kept back the lands, and the Shadow People had become impatient. They had started to break their bonds to the Royal family and returned to the places where their families lived, preparing for a fight of their lives.

Four years ago the Queen had gotten sick; it was also the year when she had confessed that Zelda had a sister. A year later Sheik had been appointed as a spy for the Royal Family. In the next year the Sheikah had decided that they didn't want to wait anymore; it was full on war. Thankfully no real fighting had started, but the tension between the races was high. The villages that were full Sheikah had cut off trading. Half bloods were welcome as long as they hated the monarchy, and they weren't bound to them.

And _that_ was the problem. Sheik didn't like Zelda and her family, yet he had to work for them. But at least, Impa was sympathetic. She had even given hints to Sheik on where to go if he wanted to run away. But the young male had other ideas.

The forests became dense as Sheik continued to muse about the conflict between the two peoples, and the several missions he was on.

He was ordered by the King, Jerold Harkinian, to look for the Princess that had been missing for sixteen years. Despite his resolute decision on _not_ finding the Princess, Sheik had asked the Queen where to look, and the circumstances behind the Princess's disappearance.

Sheik had sneered at the King's fickle heart.

The second mission was to find the Hero of Time. He was needed in the fighting, and by the prophecies he was bound to the Royal Family, or so the King had said. Sheik had sneered again at the way the King spoke of people almost as property. Were the Sheikah and their lands mere property to him? The sacred burials and the tribal grounds only soil where he could build new villages in the name of his blood? It was sickening.

The third mission—the one that he was most intent on succeeding—was the one that involved him crossing the King and giving the Princess to a Sheikah tribe he would belong to, if only he wasn't bound. Everybody had agreed that the Lost Princess would make a good bargaining chip; for the war, the lands, everything.

The male sat down and leaned against a tree, his knee high boots scuffing dirt as he did so. He wasn't wearing the scarf that usually hid his face, nor the blue suit that was emblazoned with the symbol of his people. The King wanted to make it clear that Sheik worked for him and him alone; Hylians tended to stone 'the traitors' to death on the streets, leaving them to die in their own pools of blood. A purple tunic with a Triforce carried by the Phoenix was dyed onto the left hand side of the shirt, one of the wings going over his shoulder and the Triforce placed at his heart. The trousers tucked into his boots were beige and well weaved, all in all showing the world that he was considered high in the eyes of the Royals.

And thanks to the change in clothing, the features of his face that had been hidden for so long, the features that had caused several young heads to go wild with horrific imaginations, visible. His jaw seemed as if it was chiselled out of stone, its strong outline and the sharp and stoic look it gave the Sheikah a menacing appearance. His red eyes shone brightly with intelligence and grim determination, but not without the hint of sardonic amusement. He didn't enjoy the lack of his face wraps.

The eighteen year old yawned and opened the piece of paper he had been working on. It was a vague map of where he had gone through from the exertions before. Sheik decided he wanted to go through to the Goron city's warp and start investigating from there. He wondered whether who he should be looking for, Hero or Princess, and then decided that he didn't care. He should be more worried on where he was.

Sheik looked onto his piece of paper again and decided that he'd go south; he hadn't done much research on that side.

* * *

Lynda walked around the place nervously, the bulge at her usually flat chest affecting her self esteem. Her hair was now past her shoulder blades, a little tangled but still soft thanks to the wax from a certain plant she used to clean her hair in. Her skin was golden thanks to the extensive hours in the sun, and her hands were calloused. Her blue tunic she used to swim in was big in her female form, going just over her knee caps. She held her green hat tightly in her fists, looking around the insides of the temple as if someone might jump at her. "Saria…?"

"I'm right here." A voice whispered from the wall of the Temple, carrying towards Lynda's pierced ears,

"Why do I have to do this? Taking my hat off and walking around, I mean."

"You'll turn eighteen in a few weeks. You have to choose by then if you want to be a boy or girl. And since you know what it's like to be a boy, you should experiment being a girl."

"But I don't _want_ to be a girl!" Lynda suddenly burst, slamming the hat back on. Her hair shrunk into his skull until they were a good length for a boy, his fringe shortening to cover his brows. He grew taller and his jaw became harder and more defined. The only thing that didn't change was the bitter sadness that dominated his otherwise bright blue eyes. "A man is respected more than a woman. I'm stronger this way. And when I confront enemies like Stalfos, they cower when they know they're fighting a man. They would think differently when they see a woman wielding a sword."

Navi flew in and butted into his face, with more arguments in her glowing mind. "A woman is underestimated in both respect and in fighting. That's why it's handier to be one. If you do something tricky a man will be blamed first. Not a woman. You may become stronger, but it slows you down. You're faster than a dragonfly when you're a girl!"

Link growled, saying the argument that always won. "How can I act like a woman when I don't even know how?"

Navi fell silent as Link turned away, going through one of the side doors that led to the back gardens. The fairy sighed and remembered her nearly forgotten errand, bobbing up and down in the air in a frenzy.

"Saria! Saria, Saria! Quick, where are you, I've got something to tell you!"

After a second a door on the second floor opened and the forest sage appeared, hanging on the bone white rails. She brushed her green hair behind her ear and looked down at the light blue fairy with her own blue eyes, which resembled the dark depths of an ancient pool of knowledge. Her green fairy, Aloe, flitted around her shoulders and waved down at Navi. "What is it, Navi?"

"It's Zelda! It's the Princess Zelda!"

There was a silence as Saria just stood there, wide eyed, the baby blue fairy waiting for some sort of response.

The Forest Sage burst out laughing.

"But it's true!" Navi protested desperately, flying up to where the Kokiri girl was rolling, still laughing. "I saw her go into the village!"

Saria laughed a little more before sitting up, holding her stomach to stop the laughter and help to breathe. "Navi . . . what exactly did you see?"

Navi bobbed up and down in the air again, finally pleased in her own little way that she had Saria's attention. "I saw her disguised! As . . . as the guy she was disguised in the lost seven years! As Sheik . . . ? Yes. That was the name."

Saria chuckled again and asked, "Navi, have you ever thought of the possibility that this Sheik could be a person of his own?"

Link's guardian faltered. She buzzed with an embarrassed note in her wings. "Um… I…"

"And besides," Saria continued patiently and kindly, "If Zelda had really come, I would've noticed. She's the Seventh Sage and we sages sense each others' presence."

"Oh. Um… okay." Navi looked crestfallen, the fact that she had been mistaken dulling her glow. But then she brightened up, showing her excitement by doing summersaults in front of the amused Forest Sage. "Then there's an intruder in the forest! An alert! An alert!"

Saria chuckled. "You're right Navi. I'll just go see what he's doing."

Then the Kokiri girl left through the door she had come through, although both of them knew that wasn't the way out. But Navi didn't object to the sage's exit, since there was hardly any point in the gesture with how Saria was gone.

The minuet of Forest sounded across the Temple like a bell.

* * *

Sheik furrowed his eyes as he thought about what the Kokiri children had told him, confused. According to them, there had been only one Hylian amongst them. It had been a boy named Link, the Hero of Time. There had been no Hylian girl for as long as they remembered.

He'd asked to meet with their guardian, the Deku Tree to confirm the fact, but they were very protective of their protector, (Sheik had rolled his eyes at the irony) so he had had to back away. Deku tree was still a scrub, and Sheik was a visitor that came once every two thousand blue moons. Sheik had had no option but to follow a particularly nasty Kokiri's order to 'get lost' in Lost woods, 'you'll find your Hylian in there'.

Sheik had sighed as he trudged through the enchanted woods, frustrated. He didn't really care about the Hero of Time! The King only wanted him because he'd be useful in the brewing war. And Sheik was determined not to give the King the liberty of having the upper hand in the fight.

Perhaps it would've been best to just have stabbed the son of a bitch in the chest right when he'd been given the order, but Zelda would've been the one to send the soldiers upon his comrades. It wouldn't have solved the problem. Such a shame…

The Sheikah shook his head and moved forward, his resolve now harder than before. He needed the lost Princess. He didn't really care why the King wanted to please the Queen so suddenly, since he hadn't really tried these past years he'd spent with his wife, but it was a card the Sheikah could play as a resort.

But where exactly was the Princess? As far as the Queen had told him, she'd given her to the Deku tree to raise, telling it to treat the child like Royalty, raise her to know of her bloodline, and send her back on the day everything would be safe.

Obviously, that had never happened.

Perhaps she had been taken somewhere else when the Hero of Time had been brought to the Kokiri as well, to prevent confusion? If that was the case, the only place that was relatively safe in the forest was…

Sheik mulled it over, weighing his options before bringing out his lyre. His fingers plucked the strings with a sense of respect as the Forest Minuet rang through the trees as he got lost in green light.

* * *

As soon as Navi had heard the Forest Minuet, she had panicked. Link was in the back gardens, tending to the fruits and vegetables while Saria was in the Kokiri village, asking around about Sheik. There was no need for either of them to use the song, since Link didn't have the Ocarina of Time to make the songs work, and Saria was the Forest sage. That left the Kokiri people, and they'd never use the Minuet unless it was some sort of emergency. She had flown out the gate like some crazed bee, muttering gibberish in her panic.

So, it wouldn't have been a surprise for anyone when she had freaked by laying eyes on Sheik. With so many negative and panicky thoughts running though her mind, it was only fair for her to assume the worst. She'd whizzed back to the Temple, horrible questions running through her mind.

If Sheik wasn't Zelda, who was he? How did he know the supposedly secret melody? Did he force it out of the Kokiri? Where was Saria? Why hadn't she stopped him from coming here? Had she been hurt by the Sheikah? Was that why he knew the melody? Wouldn't that mean the Temple was in trouble?

But not just the Temple. The forest, the Deku Tree, Lynda! How did Navi know that Sheik wasn't Ganondorf's underling? How did she know that he wasn't out searching for the Hero of Time for some sort of sacrifice? And if he found out that 'Link' was actually a girl . . .

Pure, untainted _PANIC_.

"_Liiiiinnnk!_" Navi shrieked as she zoomed through one of the windows to the back gardens, "Liiiinnk! Trouble, it's trouble! Aaaahh!"

Link groaned as he stood, cracking his spine to relieve the suffering of crouching for so long. Finally, Navi's freaking out moods had come. For a second he'd been worried she'd turned normal. In the first year or two the Temple had been a shelter for monsters and he'd had to kick them out, and since then his fairy had become over-worried when she saw anything unusual.

Stalfos? Freak out.

Wolfos? Freak out.

Stray baby Ghomas? Freak out.

Stalchild? Freak out.

Deku scrub? Freak out.

Heck, she had freaked out when a Kokiri had come along to pick a herb that had run out in his pantry.

So it was of no great concern when Navi flew into his face obviously loosing several years of her natural lifespan as she panicked her life-force away.

"What is it Navi?" Link asked in a bored manner, trying to stop himself of yawning, "Keese this time?"

"No! No, much worse!"

Link refrained from rolling his eyes. "What then."

"It's Sheik! The Guy Zelda disguised as!"

The name brought fire into his eyes. "What."

But before Navi could answer Link was in the Temple, charging through the front door and out the front gate. He guessed why Zelda would want him, and he didn't like the reason either. There was no way he was going to 'work for her' again.

The first thing he saw was the grappling hook that was wrapped onto the overhanging branch. Without thinking he grabbed the dagger that he kept in his boot and slashed at the rope, cutting the intruder's safety line. At the same time he leaned over to see his unexpected visitor's fall to the ground, a horrible thud emanating across the clearing.

Link couldn't help but sneer.

Link also noted Sheik wasn't wearing his Sheikah war clothes. Instead a tunic with the Royal crest emblazoned on it took its place, convincing Link more on the reason why 'Sheik' had come. Link disdainfully unravelled the hook off of the branch and let it drop, its teeth digging into the soft soil below. It didn't matter the Sheikah knew that he was there. All that mattered was that 'he' couldn't get in.

Link countered Sheik's glare with his very own.

"Might I enquire why you did that?" Sheik growled angrily, making Link snort.

"You know pretty darn well, don't you think?"

The sarcasm in the Hylian's voice made the Sheikah's blood boil. "Enlighten me."

Link scoffed disdainfully. "I don't see the need for that, _Zelda_."

Sheik blinked, wondering if he had heard right.

But before he could object on the fault of his identity, laughs of an innocent child rang in the trees and a young voice echoed in the air, easing the tension. Sheik noted how Link's head snapped up at the laughter, and then his expression snarled in anger. "Saria! Why didn't you tell me she was coming?"

The laughter rang out a again and said, "Because there was no need to, silly. This isn't Zelda!"

Link stood in shock before gathering himself and glared at the Sheikah. He may not have been Zelda, but he had still disrupted Link's home. Link jumped down from the platform and stomped over to the Sheikah to glare into his face and snarled again, "How do we know she hasn't covered up her scent? She could reverse time if she wanted to; disguising herself as well as getting rid of her 'aura' should be easy. I know this kind of magic." He added, stopping the urge of placing his hat more firmly on his head.

Red eyes iced over with irritation. "Then ask the Forest Sage to test me. They detect lies, don't they? Ask me anything and I'll reply truthfully; I suspect I'm right to assume you trust her enough not to make anything up about my honesty?"

Link growled, insulted. "There's no other person that's more honest that her."

"Thanks Link." Her voice echoed through the leaves, humble and sheepish.

"Now get down here!" Link scoffed, rolling his eyes and fighting a grin with his frown. Sheik raised his eyebrows.

Green light shimmered around the old stump of a tree, slowly turning into a ghostly figure of a ten-year-old green haired girl. A fairy – also green – flitted around her shoulder like the light blue one was doing with Link. Sheik wondered again why that little bugger was there, and when it had slipped into the whole scene. The fairy noticed his gaze and flashed a menacing yellow for a second, and Sheik decided that the blue orb with wings didn't like him either.

Link's grumble broke through his thoughts. "You're going to be tired out tomorrow. You do realise that's going to leave me doing the cleaning."

Saria smiled warmly and said, "Then I don't have to worry. You're such a great housekeeper."

Link rolled his eyes with scorn. "Just get on with the questioning, will you?"

Saria chuckled as if she'd won the argument and put her eyes on Sheik, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Sheik shrugged and said, "I'm looking for someone."

Link's eyes narrowed. "Me."

Sheik shrugged again. "Not really. Yes and no."

Link glared, sparks flying in his eyes. "I don't share your sense of humour, princess."

The Sheikah laughed. He shook his head wistfully, putting a bored but amused gaze onto the Hero of Time. "First, I'm male. Second, I'm not royal. Third, I wasn't joking, and fourth, I can see we have a different sense of humour, since, I find this whole business rather funny."

Link's expression turned from scorn to anger. "Why you…!"

"Link, calm down?" Saria pleaded in a worried tone, "Everything he said was true. He was asked to look for you, but he decided he didn't want to."

"It was for the war, wasn't it." Link spat angrily, and Sheik blinked in surprised.

"I'm surprised you knew." He admitted, deciding that he won't add a further comment on Link's life as hermit, in case it might end up in several long hours of bloodshed.

Saria giggled. "Yeah. He has his sources. Anyway…"

"I want to ask something." Link interjected, making the sage pout, "In the lost seven years, was it you or Zelda that did all the riddles and the guiding?"

Sheik waited a second before replying, thinking over his answer. "It was me until the Shadow Temple when Bongo-bongo attacked the village. I had more injuries than I liked, so Zelda took over. And Ganondorf was becoming suspicious of me by then."

Link twitched at the name of his old enemy. "Ganondorf got suspicious of you, because…?"

Sheik shrugged. "I worked for him."

Blind rage enveloped the Hylian like dark thunder clouds, obscuring all sense except the fury that ran though his blood. He grabbed the knife at his belt and charged, roaring with a rage he hadn't felt since what seemed like forever.

A hand grabbed at his elbow and yanked, making him fall back. The thunder clouds left his head, unclogging his mind, but the anger was still there. He struggled like a mad lion under Saria's firm grip, the sight of the unfazed Sheikah infuriating him more.

Sheik was more interested in the sudden tangibility and the vice-like grip the Sage had on the Hero of Time. She had been fairly transparent and mist-like since the very second she had appeared. But now she was solid as his own limbs (possibly more so), and by the look of things, strong and stiff as a tree several hundred years old. Her small, delicate-looking hand restrained the Hylian like a vine would to a wall, and with her free hand she tilted his jaw her way, her voice now firm and commanding as she spoke to him.

"Link, Sheik is good. He helped you seal the King of Evil. Now relax, let it go. Breathe."

Link struggled a little more before relenting, powerless under the influence of a sage. But then his eyes widened, and he seemed to realise something that horrified him to no end. He snatched himself away and staggered back, looking frightened out of his mind. How and why, Sheik didn't know. The Hero of Time trembled with fear, and he continued backing away.

"Don't touch me." He said, shaking violently, "Don't touch me, get away from me! Just stay away from me! Leave me alone!"

Magic gathered in his hands and crashed into the ground before Link disappeared to goddesses knew where. Saria sighed and sat back on the stump, looking exhausted as she swung her legs. The blue fairy that had hovered around Link's shoulder drooped her wings and perched herself near the Forest Sage, sniffing slightly. Sheik shuffled his feet, saying, "I was hoping he'd assume that I worked as a double-agent."

Saria shook her head, waving a hand in dismissal. "It's okay. I just didn't want Link doing anything he'd regret."

"Why did he run away?" Sheik asked, gesturing towards where the holder of the Triforce of courage had stood in fear, "That is, if it's alright for me to ask."

The Kokiri sighed solemnly, looking upset. "Two years ago, when he was fifteen, he went to go pick berries. He came back near death and holding that knife he tried to attack you with. I tried to heal him, but he didn't want to be touched. That was the first physical contact I had with him since."

Remorse had no time to fill Saria's heart, as Sheik had spoken again. "So you broke a trust. I'm sorry."

Saria smiled sincerely at Sheik's honest tone. "Like I said before; he would've killed you if I hadn't and I didn't want him to do something he'd regret."

Sheik nodded and asked, "Am I right to assume that no one else lives here?"

Saria returned Sheik's nod. "Yeah. Just him and me, with the occasional guest."

So there was no princess here. He better report that to the King as well as his people about that. "Well," Sheik continued, "I still have to look for someone, so I should go. Sorry I made such a mess of things, but I should get going. Sorry."

Sheik turned to go, but the Forest Sage stood in front of him as if she had been behind him all along. Sheik jumped slightly at that, and stopped the urge of looking back at the stump.

"You can't do that." She said with innocence, her hands clasped behind together behind her back, "You're not allowed to."

" . . . Why?"

"You're going to report to the King, aren't you." She prompted, a scowl on her face, "Zelda would know you met Link here. She'd tell the King, even if you didn't."

" . . . So?"

"The King attacked the forest once, you know. We had to fight them with Stalfos and Poes and wolfos and . . . lots of other things."

". . . So . . . ?"

"How do I know he won't do it again? Link and I don't like mass murder. And you just might kick-start it if you went back with the news that Link won't help in the war."

Sheik backed away slowly, beginning to understand what the sage was getting at. Saria giggled into her hands as if Sheik had been caught in one of her pranks. She continued again, a happy grin on her face. "Yep. You're staying."

"You can't make me."

"Of course I can!" she said, clearly happy with herself, "You'll have some freedom, but just not too much, that's all! You walk around the forest, and you get too close to the border, you just come back. You can try any of the Temple songs if you like, but the forest will neutralize it, so there won't be much point. Anyway, you won't be able to leave the forest. I'll hand you over to Zelda if she calls, but until then, enjoy your stay, okay?"

And then the image of the Kokiri girl disappeared, leaving a feeling of dread in the Sheikah's heart. He hastily grabbed his lyre and played, but the yellow sparks that usually followed the Prelude of Light didn't come to him. Panic rose in his stomach and he threw his instrument to the grass, dashing out to the meadow. He ran past the Deku shrubs, ignored the stinging they inflicted with their nuts. He ran as fast as he could as if he was racing against some sort of time limit, feeling the trees mock him for his futile struggling. He ran through the Sacred meadow and went back the way he had come through the forests.

He ended up in front of the labyrinth once more.

* * *

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**S.S.**


	3. War of Fire and Ice

_**War of fire and ice**_

Lynda shivered and held onto herself, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a dark corner and just die. She hated being afraid; hated being haunted by something that happened years ago, and most likely wouldn't happen again. She regretted asking Saria not to touch her. It probably would've eased the pain of the memory, and maybe she would've gotten over it eventually. But now...

Lynda shivered violently and held back a scream, tears threatening to fall.

She looked down at the hat she had thrown away, and regretted her decision about it. Sometimes the thing didn't work as well as it used to, since she was in her adolescence and her birthday was nearing. Not to mention the time of the month was coming up too.

Lynda looked at the hat resentfully, hating it but loving it at the same time. When wearing it she was strong, confident. She could fight and win easily in it and if she wanted to be, famous and well known as the Hero of Time. She knew how to act to please people, knew everything that she should and shouldn't do as a male vagabond swordsman, bound to nothing and no one. But she felt empty every time she had visited Malon as Link, who had looked at her like a reliable brother. It was like she had to act continuously as the Hero of Time; as someone completely not her. She hated being some trophy for people to grab, some little object with the purpose of only showing off.

But without the hat, she was weak and unsure of herself. The swords she could fight easily as Link were difficult as Lynda. She didn't know how to act like a girl her age. She didn't know how a girl was supposed to please people, didn't know anything about herself. Lynda sometimes visited the markets to get bread and butter, but every time in lines, the male was to be served first, even when he was behind her. If not that it was always the older woman, or the younger, richer, prettier one, and she was usually left in the dust, just barely getting the last, fresh one before they began to sell the stale breads. That was why she quit going to the market as both and male and female. She got her food from the ranch, if she was in desperate need for it.

But perhaps three years ago, when Link went to go see Malon, he had revealed himself as Lynda, and had run away straight after for the fear of being hated. She'd never visited again, because she didn't want to know how Malon felt. What was the point on staying if Malon decided she didn't want to be friends with her any longer?

She felt trapped on the line between the world of girls and boys, lost in confusion of emotions belonging to both male and female. And it was all the bloody hat's fault.

Lynda lifted it from the ground and held it in her hands, wondering what to do with it now. Lynda knew it was best that she put on the hat, since Sheik was in the Temple area as well, but instead she fiddled with the green fabric of the cap, musing about the intruding visitor of the Temple.

Sheik. That name had been embedded into her mind more than Zelda's when she replaced the Master Sword to its sleep. It had meant almost nothing to her as she lived in Kokiri forest, but as Lynda turned thirteen and older, she had felt herself blush every time she remembered the red eyes that had stared intently at her. The muscles that she had seen in his arms and chest were still vivid, and the kind musical voice was still chanting those rhymes in her head. But the last meeting with Sheik, when he had turned to Zelda always returned to her before she could fantasize about anything. She'd felt those fantasies come back when she'd had a proper look at the Sheikah.

But what was the point of those fantasies, if she intended to be a boy?

Lynda put it on her head, and when she looked in the water, Link was there. He sighed in immense relief, falling back on the comforting grass. After a second he wiped at the tear stains on his face. They didn't belong to him; it wasn't Link who shed those tears. Men were braver and stronger. They didn't need or want to cry.

He closed his eyes and let the storm clouds of emotion ebb away, letting himself cool down and enjoy the fresh air. Sheik would be gone. He'd probably never come back, since he had no business here in the Temple no longer, with Link rejecting the offer to 'serve the kingdom'. All he had to do now was sit back, relax, and just calm down . . .

He would've dozed off to sleep if it weren't for the soft blue glow that shone against his eyelids. Link opened his eyes groggily to find Navi fluttering at his nose. The fairy was hopeless at keeping emotions to herself, and it tended to show in her glow and wings, like how she was dim and her wings drooped as they flapped in a hopeless manner. Link groaned and let his head drop to the lush grass before asking, "What's the bad news, Navi."

". . . Sheik's still here."

Link waved that off, rolling to the side in hopes of getting back to sleep, "He'll be going. He doesn't want to stay, and he needs to report to the King about me, remember?"

"That's the thing, Link. He's . . . he's staying."

Link's eyes shot open and he boosted himself up, his face colliding with the depressed fairy. "_What_."

"Saria cut him off. Sheik's going to stay until Saria doesn't want him anymore."

That really pissed Link off.

* * *

Sheik whistled with amazement, looking around the central room in awe and respect. It was cavernous inside; much bigger and wider than Sheik ever expected. The walls seemed to be made out of wood, or soft rock, looking as if it was completely natural, and people had carved in the ledges and stairs to make a suitable foundation of the temple. But even those that were clearly artificial looked as if they had grown from the forest with life before they were stunted into rails and ledges. They had an air of life and fertility that Sheik wondered whether or not to bow. He knew it was totally ridiculous to bow to a room, but he felt compelled.

He did a Sheikah sign of respect — the crossing of the middle fingers over his heart — before taking another step.

The white wood of the stair rails were soft and welcome under his touch, a light spring due to the moss it had acquired over the years adding to the affect. There were soft claps of sound as Sheik trudged down the stairs in his clumpy boots, the sound echoing across the main room in an eerie fashion. He examined the place further, noting the lanterns that burned in the middle of the room, the strange colours of the flames intriguing him. Crimson red, poison green, cold blue and sickly purple flared as he came closer, spitting in what seemed like anger, disgust, hate and envy. Sheik felt a shiver go down his spine and stopped to calm himself, avoiding the lanterns with his gaze. He looked up at the high overhang of the temple and saw only darkness, with the occasional shuffle from above. Red eyes squinted into the darkness, noting the deadly winks of yellow light that seemed to mock him.

He realised all of a sudden that he would've been the first visitor since the Hero of Time, and before that the Black King. The Temple probably didn't know whether he meant harm or not. Perhaps it would've been best if he had left his weapons at the entrance to show that he meant no harm. The amount of concealed knives and daggers on his person was on the limit of being not-so-funny. Sheik sighed and sat down as he finished descending the stairs, taking off his boot to clip off the sheaths that were strapped onto the insides of the leather.

It was then that something began to stir and make a sound, catching his attention. It was like a whirring of clockwork, when the wheels of the complex object worked in harmony and made a content purr. Sheik decided that it was nothing dangerous; he finished with his boot and wore it, going onto the next.

He glanced up as he put another sheathed knife to the ground, noting the box that was coming up from the ground. The young man guessed straight on that it was an elevator, the fact that it was big enough to fit a person and it looked eerily like a cage giving him the obvious hint. He ignored it once again and continued disarming his feet, refusing to meet the angry glare that was emanating towards him.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here." The reason for his imprisonment hissed, blue fire raging in his eyes.

Sheik looked up to meet Link's gaze, standing up at the same time. He absently tapped the toes of his boots against the floor to get his feet more comfortable in the foot wear. He said, "I'm stuck."

"I already know that." Link growled, "I'm asking what you're doing in the Temple. With _knives_." Link jabbed his finger downwards to where Sheik had left four daggers, five knives—four for throwing—and a one-sided blade the length of his foreleg. All were sheathed, but the fact that Sheik had them in the Temple infuriated Link to no end.

Sheik answered in a perfectly reasonable tone, "I was removing them from my person."

Link scoffed with mockery and disdain. "_Right._"

His visitor shrugged and attempted to crouch to get hold of his weapons. "Fine with me, if you want me to walk around with weapons in hand."

"I don't want you in the Temple _period_!" Link barked, grabbing Sheik's cuff and pulling him to his face. "I want you out; _now_!"

Sheik ignored the hot menace in the Hylian's tone and pulled himself away, "You think I _want_ to be here?" he hissed, his eyes becoming hard as frozen jewels, "The only reason I'm here is because I'm _stuck_ here. And I have unattended business outside. Tell that sage of yours to let me go, if you want me gone."

Link laughed harshly, mirth in his tone. "She doesn't have to do _anything_ as far as she's concerned. She's the boss here; she does what she likes."

Sheik gritted his teeth against Link's sadistic tone. He was _so_ ready to gut him, _so_ ready to kill him in one of the most holy places in the country, but Sheik needed him to get out; needed him to persuade the Forest Sage to let him go. And Sheik detested that fact above all. Link gave a smug sneer towards Sheik direction, making him almost lose it.

Sheik took a deep breath before saying, "Look. The King is readying his troops against my people. If I don't go, they're going to be massacred. I _need_ to go."

Link blinked in surprise. "You're a double agent?"

Sheik clamped his jaw tight shut. Link stepped a little closer, glaring. He was only slightly taller than Sheik, and Sheik was on the tall side. "What's it to you?" Sheik asked coldly, making Link sneer.

"Nothing, I guess." He stepped back and around, climbing a few steps before sitting down in a casual heap. Too casual, Sheik decided, with the way the Hylian's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Tell you what," the hero said, "I'll ask Saria to let some of the barriers up. Does that seem fair to you?"

Sheik's suspicion grew. "Where do these barriers block the way to?"

Link shrugged and smirked. "To Rilemin. You know that country?" He leaned back against the stairs, his hands resting behind his head, "You'd reach Hyrule in. . . twenty days on horse, riding hard."

Anger flared in Sheik's heart without mercy. "I demand passage to Hyrule Field; _now_."

Link glared right back without sympathy. "I won't be serving the Royal family. I gave up more than you ever could being the Hero of Time; I _refuse_ to be dragged in."

Sheik's hands balled into fists at his sides, his jaw hurting from grinding his teeth so much, his eyes losing all humane emotions except cold, cold rage. "I wonder what it'd be like, Hero, listening to an all out war that you could've prevented? Hearing the screams of your innocent people as they get massacred by the Sheikah."

Link rose from his position and growled, his lips curled up in a snarl that matched one of a wolfos. "The Hylians are not my people. The Kokiri are. Why should I care about the very race that caused me nothing but pain?" A heartless smile replaced the snarl, and Link said, "And you're right. It _is_ all out war. Except, as far as I'm concerned, it's between _you_ and _me_."

Link went back to the elevator, looking back only once to say, "Enjoy your stay, _buddy_." Before descending into the basement once more.

* * *

Night had fallen three hours ago, and Sheik cupped his hands to his mouth again, doing the mimic of an owl's call once more. It was of a specific owl, The Spotted golden eye. The species were in good grounds with the Sheikah, and the wild ones came to the camps around the countries often in search for leftover scraps that had happened to be on the grass. Some had been captured when they were only young chicks, trained to come to the calls Sheik were doing that very moment.

He was perched on top of a massive tree hundreds of years old, looking over the canopy of leaves that framed the silvery Hyrule Field far, far away. He'd climbed up in hopes to get to the grass land by avoiding the portals themselves and pass through the top most branches of the trees, but after an hour he knew it was fruitless; the sage's power was great, and he couldn't get himself out. He'd sat on the branch he was perched on that very moment, feeling despair at never being able to return making him sick.

Until he thought of getting help from outside.

But after several tries he realised that it was near impossible. The owls tended to live in open land or on sheer cliffs, where the winds were strong and undisturbed. They fed on rats and insects that shunned the cool shadows of trees, and they liked to sleep where the sun was warm against their backs so they kept the heat of their sleep through the cold nights. Why would they come to a forest, when their lives had nothing to do with them?

Sheik resolved to come back in the morning, and try calling for a royal messenger bird. He knew magic; a lot of it in fact. Perhaps he could try to give it mental images on where to go, and guide it to where his tribe's camp was. He already had a letter written out.

Sheik began to climb down, muttering curses to the Hero who tortured him so.

* * *

Link counted his ammunition and checked the map once more, even though after years of living in the Temple, he didn't need it. But it was so exciting, what he was doing. He hadn't done it since he was chased out of the Kokiri village, where he had done it all the time, and several times per day especially on his birthday. But now that he had company he didn't like, he could finally get his nearly forgotten hobby back into action, and Sheik was going to be the first and last victim of his pride.

Link snickered in a childish manner, unable to stop smiling.

If there was anything that dampened his mood was the blue fairy that fluttered behind his shoulder, worry and distress clear in her glow.

"Link, you sure you want to do this? I mean, that guy's the first company you've had since . . . ever, really. Why not get to know him? He might be a good friend, you know."

Link turned his head around to meet the fairy's glow, and scoffed. "Navi, men aren't to be trusted when it comes to friendships. Especially when _I'm _the one that has to deal with them. When he finds about 'Lynda', he _will_ try to hurt me. Maybe even hurt _you_. You're a sister to me Navi; I don't want anything bad happening to you. And besides, you, Saria and the others are all the company I need. Sheik, however," Link stopped talking as the devil himself stepped through, shaking his head as he closed the front doors. He was wearing the attire he had arrived in yesterday, even though it was pretty wrinkly from his restless sleep. The part of Link that was feminine delighted in the fact that his face was uncovered; she liked the look of the mysterious Sheikah.

Link shook Lynda away from his mind, scowling. Lynda had no place in his life any longer.

Link looked down upon him from the window he was perched on, and grinned madly. The Hylian had a good view of his prey from the third floor, while Sheik was on the first, and he was sure he was going to enjoy what he had planned out for the Sheikah.

Before the unbeknownst victim was about to trigger the trap, Link added the last words he had wanted to say with a big, smug, grin, "Is a nuisance."

Sheik stood on the false panel. He heard an ominous click. It was only then that he knew he was in major trouble.

Water. Massive amounts of water poured in from the windows on the second floor, surging onto the first floor with a force that could've easily wrenched a farm house to dust. And it went directly at Sheik, hitting his torso with enough force to send air out of his lungs, with enough speed to go over him without letting him intake air, submerging him and the first floor mercilessly.

Link watched it all with hearty laughs.

Sheik couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't control his body as the water around him jostled him in tight circles and frighteningly long distances. He tumbled through the churning and thrashing waters until his back hit a wall.

Pain cracked into his spine like a thunder clap, and it was only the power of will that stopped him from gasping. The only thing that helped the matter was that the wall was covered in ivy, and had softened the blow. But the softening tentacles of the plants had almost no affect as the spasm of pain continued, and the pressing the water was doing was torturing his lungs all the more. Sheik held onto his nose and mouth and fought the water, until all of a sudden; he felt the force of it decline.

Panic surged through the Sheikah's mind. If he didn't do something, something quick, the water would leave fast enough to drop under him, and he'd be left in mid air, to land onto rushing waters again. Before the water could retreat without him, or suck him into its deeper and colder depths, Sheik grabbed onto the ivy that had done very little to save him, hoping that this time it would.

The next thing he knew he was breathing fresh clean air. After several seconds of calming the trembling breathing and the ache in his head from the lack of air, Sheik calculated where to land, and was safely back on ground.

He crumbled to the floor, gasping and coughing, tired out of his mind all of a sudden, even if it was still morning.

Link had watched all this from the window, his chin placed in his hand as his elbow was propped onto the window sill. He'd watched Sheik get submerged with a smirk, watched him hit the wall with a wince, watched him cling onto the ivy with a whistle of amazement, and land with a chuckle.

Frankly, the Hylian was surprised that his victim had done so well against the Temple's last minute anti-enemy... thing, depite it being at a lower level of power. It might not have been as bad as Morpha, but still, being jostled round by water wasn't fun. Link grimaced, shivering with the memory of being touched by the watery tentacles of the Water Temple's guard.

It would've been nice if Sheik had become unconscious at the most, or drowned enough not to die, but only just barely saveable. He had to live through that kind of treatment for a whole month, putting the giant fish Jabu-jabu, the Water Temple and the Ice Cavern together. It would've been great to kick him in the ribs as a means of saving the Sheikah, Link thought, imagining the scene in a comical manner.

But deep down he knew he wouldn't have been able to do it, if it had come to that. He'd save Sheik properly with the proper procedures, and Navi would apologize for him.

Speaking of Navi . . .

"_Link_!" She shrieked into his ear, making him wince and jerk, "What are you doing!? Are you trying to kill him!?"

Link winced again and shook his head to get the echoing out before saying, "No Navi, I wasn't trying to kill him. It was just a prank."

"Just a _prank_!? That would've killed even _you_! Why…"

Link cut her off with a wave of his hand, stalking off to his next plan. "Navi, I promised Saria that I'd clean the Temple today; I should get going."

Navi floated in horror, and then shot up into the air, yellow with fury. "Ugh! _Cleaning_!? That stunt you just did there was big enough to flush out the dirt just under the windowsill you were at!"

Link turned back and calmly cupped the buzzing fairy, her glow turning from yellow, to blue, and to yellow again. "Hey Navi, don't worry. That wouldn't have killed me, _or_ Sheik. And you're right." Link grinned mischievously, hardly being able to contain his chuckles, "The water _did_ reach the windowsill. Isn't that great?"

The raging yellow left her glow, leaving Navi blue, except with a hint of confusion.

Sheik finally ceased his coughing, breathing in comforting breathes before standing. What had that been? Some sort of attack? A defence mechanism? He knew of the mechanisms in all Temples, but this? He hadn't ever heard of such a strange phenomenon.

The only answer he got was a pain crashing into his skull.

He yelled harshly as his balanced tipped, and he grasped the side of his head painfully, feeling the blood in his head throb at the horrible treatment. As he held the sore spot, the Sheikah was sure that he heard snickering. He looked up with an angry growl to where he was sure the projectile had come from, but he only saw an empty window. He then looked down to where he saw yellow-white specks of the bullet that had hit him, and he crouched to pick it up. It crumbled under his grip, but it was soft. His wet hands made it like clay and flexible, leaving traces of it on his fingers.

Wait. What was...?

There were several harsh rustles from the vines on the third floor, and Sheik put his gaze back onto the walls, glaring at the leaves and vines with suspicion. He stood and wondered whether to inform Link of the strange behaviours of the Temple when another bullet shot at his back, making him stagger at the pain.

Sheik spun to see nothing behind him; only wet floors, newly burning torches, and wall covered in ivy far, far ahead. His eyes jerked this way and that as there were disturbances in the ivy, as if stones were bring hurled through the foliage. Were the Deku scrubs attacking the Temple? No, the sanctuary was as much as a home to them as to Link and the sage. He'd seen them sleep in the square inside the four angry fires, where the elevator rose and fell. Besides. Those creatures had been friendly enough; it was something else that was attacking now.

Instinct kicked in and Sheik stepped to the side, letting the yellow-white bullet similar to the ones before sail past. He then heard a soft murmur, and it was then that Sheik decided that it was bloody obvious that Link was behind it.

Sheik lunged and rolled as several bullets of the clay-like blobs came at him, sliding across the wet floor and leaving streaks of stone-like colour behind. He saw a flash of green depart a window on the third floor, and it hardened all suspicions into truth.

_So_, Sheik's voice echoed in his mind, _he wants me out, does he?_ He wasn't going without a damn good fight, that was for sure.

But Sheik hadn't allowed himself not one weapon when he decided to look around his new home.

Sheik blocked the bullets with his wrists to protect his face before running. Link attacked full throttle; he wasn't going to let his victim off so easily. As he shot his ammunition, Navi nagged at him to stop harassing the Temple's visitor/prisoner and get on with the cleaning. Every time she said that Link gave a grunt and shrug, pulling the string of the slingshot in his hand to fire more bullets at the wall, making them explode on contact and fall on the running Sheikah, making his eyes sting.

Link snickered as he grabbed his bag full of ammunition and went upstairs with the help of Furore's wind. He loved the excitement of finally having someone to mess around with, like he had done in Kokiri village. He'd been able to satiate his thirst for annoying people in general by slaying monsters with a cocky grin, and saving people at the very last minute to give them an extra fright. He knew it was heartless to a degree, but he felt he needed it. It was a comical relief to his days, whether they were dangerous, boring, relaxing, or just plain normal.

Ah, sweet, meaningless, and harmless revenge. He loved it.

Link dashed to the window on the fourth floor and loaded more bullets in the sling, stretching the string till it reached his elbow. Sheik and the floors and walls around him got bombarded by his bullets. The thought of seeing the look on Sheik's face when he realised what exactly thebullets were made out of made Link grin wide, wider, then that the widest his mouth would go. Oh, he couldn't wait...!

Below, Sheik was not having a good time. He cursed and growled as he dodged more blows, running back the way he came in hopes of disorienting his attacker. He knew it wouldn't work, since Link was way up on the terraces of the third floor — perhaps even fourth, Sheik realised, with how the bullets hurt a little more than before — and didn't need to run around with him to hit his mark. Sheik cursed again as he swatted a pellet mid flight.

A horrified short of shock froze him as he felt air under his feet instead of earth. Pain walloped into his spine and into the back of his skull. As Sheik skidded across the floors he felt a sense of dejavu, except instead of slipping on wet floors, he had fallen off rope in mid air. Not to mention this time the pain was reinforced with the bruises that had been left behind from the day before, and Sheik found himself on the verge of blacking out.

He refused the weakness and forced his eyes open.

He'd stopped sliding after a second and he was able to check himself over. He was okay so far, except for his spine and skull from the hard contacts, his eyes were stinging, the back of his hands, wrists and a bit of his forearms hurt from protecting his face from Link's bullets, and his legs ached from running so much and the uncomfortable sleep.

Well, compared to other experiences, he seemed perfectly dandy.

But what had made him fall so easily? What was the thing that Link used as bullets? It seemed to be making the floor slippery as well, and Sheik was beginning to suspect the yellow-white residue smelt faintly of lemon. Sheik rolled on his side, watched by Link, grabbing a lone crumbly bit of his ammunition.

Link eagerly hopped out the window, using the vines to lower himself down. This was too good to miss. _Far_ too good to miss.

Sheik studied the pellet, playing dead. He ticked the qualities he had noticed before, adding to the list of qualities that it smelled like lemon. It also reminded him of something, something back at home and hated whilst a child. The trails of colour left on his fingers wiped away when he rubbed his thumb and finger together, leaving foam.

Foam?

He bolted upright and saw foam and bubbles all over the walls and floors, and a lot on himself as well. He ripped a strand of hair out of his skull to find that it was clean, devoid of grime and grease, despite the fact he hadn't cleaned it for the past month.

Peals of uncontrolled and hysterical laughter filled the grand hall of the forest Temple, and Sheik fixed his angry glare to where the Hero of Time lay, cackling loudly and holding his stomach in pain. Link took a breath and looked at Sheik again before bursting into another wave of unchecked guffaws, loud and long and very entertained. The small clusters of bubbles that clung to Sheik's attire was sending Link into waves and waves of laughter, despite the fact that Sheik's eyes told of things he could do to him that would mean a very slow and very painful death.

Link calmed and sat, his stomach still rolling with unspent laughter. Navi was gone; she had left in despair and scorn, disbelieving Link's intentions. Link noted that Sheik was taking several slow steps, dangerously controlled and meaning his end with every step.

Link ignored it and cocked his head to the side and asked, "Enjoy your bath, Sheik? I hope I've helped you enough to feel clean."

Sheik said nothing. Just seethed in anger and kept approaching him with menace.

"Well, I'm glad." Link chuckled, bringing the fairy ocarina from a pouch in his belt, "But don't worry, the party isn't over yet."

Sheik froze at the innocently ominous words. What was the Hylian doing _now_?

Link began to play Saria's song, except with a small variation of his own, calling not for Saria, but another spirit of the forest. He stood as he played, the jig becoming addictive even to himself, swaying with the song. But he noticed that the music fell on deaf ears when it came to Sheik, as he was ignoring the sweet, happy notes.

Once he finished he grinned, lifting up six fingers – five on his right and one on his left – and said, "The countdown for the real event begins in four… three… two… one… zero!"

After that one, small word, all chaos broke loose.

From every alcove, every window, every single opening that lead outside, Deku scrubs poured in with the shouts of, "Ai-yai-yai-yai-yaiiiii!!" and "Geronimooooo!" and "Carambaaa!!" and "Yeeeeeehh_haaaa_!!" and other inexplicit shouts of joy and excitement. For a second Sheik wondered if he heard the word, "_Nintendooooo_!" being shouted above all the noise, if not part of it.

Like sand the little creatures tumbled into the main hall, jostling each other and having the time of their lives. To Sheik's horror Link laughed again at the site he was seeing, and he brought the ocarina to his lips again, playing the song that had started it in the first place. The melody swung over the creatures and they listened, and began to dance. They hopped and laughed and shouted in delight, and they flew up with giant flowers above their head, using the very same petals to slide down the walls. This caused more foam to appear, and some bubbles strayed from the leaves to float and hover above the excited crowd. They stopped their jigs. They became silent. All was still as they watched the bubbles in wonder.

"Hey! Listen!"

All swivelled in Link's direction, and Sheik felt himself pale.

"You want to enjoy yourselves!?" Link roared over the silent crowd, and they responded with a great big roar that sounded eerily like a '_YES!!_'

Sheik desperately wished this wasn't happening.

"You want to see more of _THAT!?_" Link said, pointing towards the soapy bubbles that floated beautifully in the air.

That time they roared a mighty '_**YES!!**_', Sheik just knew he'd gone partly deaf.

"Well all you have to do is have the fun of a lifetime!" Link yelled again, a great big, genuinely happy smile pasted on his face. There was no sly intentions, no smug thoughts as he egged the crowd on. He wanted to have fun, that was all! "Play around as much as you want, folks, because there's plenty of the stuff _everywhere_! Even on _him_!"

Link pointed towards the foamy Sheik, and red eyes widened in understanding. All eyes swivelled on him, looking at him and only him, and at the foam and bubbles that clung to him like a second skin.

"You have two hours to enjoy yourselves, folks!" Link yelled again, "No part of the Temple is off limits! _Go_!"

And go they did. They scrambled up walls and windows and doors and holes, searching for more room to make plenty of bubbles and foam. And Link laughed long, loud, and hard as Sheik ran from the deku scrubs all around the Temple, who wanted to see if Sheik would float if they scrubbed hard enough to make his whole body covered in giant bubbles.

* * *

Sheik coughed and retched from the lack of air, glad out of his mind that the two hours had passed and the Deku-scrubs with it. His muscles ached from the long run, diving out of the way of those pesky creatures to find himself in the midst of more of them, and then running around even harder.

Sheik heard a snicker from where he lay, soaked in sweat and soap, making him wonder whether he was really clean anymore. Link was sitting against the wall, his ocarina set aside, looking exhausted himself, except from laughing and playing instead of running. He was watching Sheik to do something, like perhaps say he wanted to leave; tell me the way to Rilemin and I'll be off, or something along those lines. Just something pleasing, and make his day all the better.

"Coward." Was what Sheik said.

Link's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What."

"You heard me." Sheik hissed as he pushed himself up, "_Coward_. What do you have to hide in these walls? What do you have to keep secret from the world? It has to be something big, if you don't want anyone coming in."

Link stood and fumed, his fists clenched against his sides, "Why you …!"

"Not to mention," Sheik added almost as an after thought as he sat upright, "Using trickery to get rid of your obstacles. Not really courageous is it."

"You know nothing about me…!" Link hissed in a deadly manner, "I had to endure things you'd _never_ understand! And I'm afraid of nothing. _Nothing_!"

Sheik stood and glared, calling on magic to rejuvenate a little of his strength. He'd only need a little; fighting a wimp like the Hero of Time would be easy. "Prove it then. Fight me. Let's see how _brave_ you are."

Link gritted his teeth and spat incoherent words, making light ripple over his palms. White-washed blades stabbed their way through, and Link gripped the hilts when they came, throwing one to the Sheikah. The man caught it, examining the fine blade.

"Impressive."

Link answered by lunging into an attack. Sheik dived back and thrust forward, and Link parried it away. Anger and hate emanated in every blow Link struck, in every swing he executed. Sheik felt it like heat; he gritted his teeth and placed his blows as calculated as possible; he didn't want to hurt, nor did he want to _get_ hurt.

Link attacked and Sheik dodged. Sheik lunged and Link parried. Every blow of the metal was met by metal, and sparks began to fly as the heated duel went on and on.

It was when Link jabbed that Sheik saw his chance.

His sword tangled with Link's as he made the tip of the blade move in a circle, and with a flick the blade slipped out of Link's hand, and Sheik kicked him down, pressing a foot on his chest and the tip of the blade against the base of his throat. Both men gasped as they stayed there, realising just how much energy they'd used.

Link gulped back his pride and closed his eyes, shame biting at his gut. "I yield."

Sheik raised his eyebrows. He lifted both weapon and foot and extended a hand, in hopes of a truce. Link swatted the hand away with disgust and pulled himself up, and began walking away. Sheik watched him go, nonchalant.

Link fumed as he walked. He'd _lost_. Him; the Hero of Time. Him; The Holder of the Triforce of Courage! The Wielder of the Master Sword! He practiced everyday since that Incident. Practiced long and hard so he could protect himself against scum like them; scum like _Sheik_! Now his efforts were broken. He was powerless, useless, and he'd _lost_.

Link wanted to scream, to shout, to cry. He had never lost till then. He was Link, damn it! Not Lynda! He was a man! A man. did. not. ever. bloody. _lose_!

Link had grabbed the hat on his head without thought, wanting to throw it down to the ground. But before he lifted it off of his head, he stopped. He felt horror and despair rise in him as he swivelled round to face the Sheikah he had lost against, finding that he had been watching.

Dread as well as fear coursed through Link's veins faster than light. Had he lifted the Hat enough to change? If he had, had Sheik seen it? If he had…

Link didn't wait to find out. He ran through the backdoor that led into the gardens and jumped the fence, running blindly into the Lost Woods.


	4. Second side of the coin

_**Meet the Second Side of the coin **_

Sheik, for all the things in the world, couldn't understand.

Why was the Hero of Time so intent on hiding? What _was_ he hiding anyway? An object? A secret? Himself? What did he have to hide _from_?

Sheik shook his head. No point asking questions that may not have any answers at all. And what was he going to do now, with nothing to do? He had intended to spend the whole day exploring the Temple, getting to know it and let the Temple know him, but now it seemed to have done that thanks to Link's party, and Sheik was left stumped, wondering what to do next.

_Well_, he thought as he tugged at the hem of the ruined purple tunic, _I _could_ get changed_,

Sheik sighed dejectedly, until he noticed a purring noise at the centre of the hall. He looked around and spotted the source of the soft humming, surprised to see the elevator rising on its own accord. Had it been shut down? By who? Link? What for?

Curiosity gripped him; Sheik jogged over to the elevator and hopped in.

It hummed and lowered as soon as he entered, and he found himself in a room that was for once dry, washed with white-yellow paint and leading to a door of some sort. Sheik went through it, noting the rings that would've held chains. As he climbed lightly lit stairs he realised with the faint, corrosive remains of dark magic that this was where Link would've had to fight something, the ultimate guard of the Temple.

Sheik shivered. How could a sane person live in the very place that he nearly died?

He took the last few steps that lead to a platform and gasped. Paintings dotted the walls at the eight points of the compass, portraying beautiful scenes of the outside world. He saw a mountainous plain, grassland full of butterflies, and even the Sacred Forest Meadow was displayed on the walls. Sheik couldn't help but smile as he looked upon the paintings, then frown to see a black one at the very far end. Maybe the Hero of Time wasn't hiding something. He just wanted the Temple for himself, perhaps.

But the painting with nothing but black…

"It paints what you want to see most."

Sheik yelped and spun, seeing a ten-year-old girl with green hair and wise azure eyes. She was standing where he had entered only seconds before, looking at him with wide, blinking eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Sheik scoffed, "I have nowhere else to go."

He watched for her reaction, and that was a downcast gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, but I had to. I didn't want anything happening to the forest, and I wanted Link to be happy. He's got his own spirit, you know. Like, he doesn't like being trapped."

Sheik was about to retort 'then why does he stay here?', but instead he gave a sigh and said nothing, scratching the top of his head.

"You know," Saria attempted, stepping forward slightly, "There's lots to do in the forest. You can ride the southern wind, climb the highest tree and see all the way to the castle, take a nap in the flowers and, and, different berries to try out, new animals to see… like… bear cubs! Yes, they're very adorable you know. And… um… glow-worms! Everybody likes glow-worms… right?"

"Perhaps…"

"Yay! Well why not go look for them? Maybe it's a little too light for glow-worms, but you'll find lots of butterflies? Or crickets. Whichever you prefer."

Sheik considered for a moment, the cogs in head turning slowly. "Actually," he began, "I'm looking for someone. A girl. A Hylian. I don't know what name she goes by, but she was brought here to be protected by the war, over fifteen years ago. Do you know where I could find her?"

Saria blinked. Blinked again. Then she said, "No."

That answer seemed eerily close to a squeak…

"Why are you looking for her?" Saria asked, putting her hands behind her back, "She must be important, if _you're_ looking for her."

Sheik couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Sorry. No can do. Can't tell ya."

"Aw . . . _please_??" she begged as he walked away, hopping impatiently on the spot, "I'd like to know if it's got to do with the forest…!"

Sheik playfully waved a hand as he descended the stairs, chuckling, "Sorry, Sheikah business. Can't let secrets out, I'm afraid. Now, I think I'll go look for some berries. I wonder which ones would be good enough to eat . . ."

He abruptly stopped when he found Saria in front of him. She was glaring, and looked very displeased. "Your secrets can be taken from you, you know. Along with your memories."

Sheik twitched his brow angrily. "I'm not below killing myself and taking this whole temple with me, if you even try to follow through with that threat."

Saria suddenly looked frightened. "Why would you … ?"

He walked away.

* * *

Link gulped before resuming breathing in a slow, ragged rhythm, trying to get the oxygen back into his lungs. He didn't know how far he'd run; didn't know how long either, and didn't want to know. As long as he was away from Sheik, his secret was safe. He would be safe. As long as he passed his eighteenth birthday, nobody would touch him. Nobody.

_Nobody_.

Tears of hysteria began to fall down his face as he squatted on his legs, his fists clenching around grass. He laughed as he cried, wondering if he were going to literally crumble and just die. He wished he would. Then he wouldn't have to live in such a hellish existence.

How long could he last? How long before he finally decided he didn't want to live through with it? It was only a matter of time before he had to make a decision. Whether to be Lynda or Link; permanently. He knew he was going to go for the male body. He was used to it; he'd grown accustomed to it. But would he be able to withstand the emotional torment? Could he really love women, even though he was afraid of being touched?

Link sniffed and sobbed, his whole body trembling. It was the better option between the two. Besides, what would happen to the Hero of Time when he was thrown away along with the hat? The people would despair. They would hate the person that was responsible for it; it would hurt even if the blame wasn't directly pointed at her. Lynda had to be thrown away; she had to disappear.

A whimper not belonging to himself made him freeze, and Link slowly looked up and saw a wolfos pup, shivering with fear and uncertainty. Link wiped at his eyes and nose, drying the tears and feeling himself pull back together. The forest had soothed him since he was a child; the creatures especially so. Link sat back and sighed, trying to remember the habits of a wolfos. They hunted in small packs, that he knew. Their children grew up with their mothers while the father went hunting. By the look of things, it looked young enough to still snuggle against the mother's side. Perhaps it had wanted to explore but had gotten chased; now it was lost.

Link pushed a grin onto his face, and extended a hand wrapped in a leather gauntlet to the pup hoping to get the little one's attention. If he didn't quickly, the deadly magic of the forest would take it over and either kill it, or drive it mad. He'd seen plenty of those at the gates of the Forest Temple; he didn't intend to let that happen to this pup. "Hey there, little guy," he said, gulping in air to stop his voice from trembling, "You lost too? Where's your mum?"

It backed away, its nose still twitching.

Link began to get irritated. Was it something that he smelled on his clothes? Link stripped the gauntlets off of his hands. He glanced up. Still the same. He sighed; there must've been a habit of the wolfos that he'd missed. Link scratched the back of his head in thought, and realised: Magic.

Magic was like a pungent scent to a wolfos child, and the animals were cautious of it. They couldn't be scared of it, since they were creatures of magic themselves, but they had had to defend themselves against it more often that not. They lose the ability when they grow older, as they grow immune or practice magic unconsciously, but the pup in front of him clearly smelt it.

And it was coming from the Hat.

Link gritted his teeth and slowly, _very_ slowly, put his hand on the hat. He could feel his heart almost burst with the fear, of repeating history, being caught by Sheik. A part of him told him to run. Forget the pup! Just get out of here and go somewhere else where nobody would need him! Where nobody would need saving and sleep it all off!

Link scrunched the hat in his grip and slipped it off. If there was one thing he totally refused to be, it was a coward.

He felt himself shrink a little bit, making the white undershirt a little loose against her skin. Her hair grew longer and tangled a bit, loose curls edging the ends. Her shaking hands gripped the grass in worry, and the magic on her clothes disappeared, turning it priate yellow. Lynda took a slow, ragged breath and looked up to find the pup there, looking surprised and awed. It had stopped shaking, and its nose didn't twitch with the smell of magic.

Lynda extended a hand and murmured words in traditional Kokiri, coaxing the little one to come to her.

It nudged her middle finger, sniffed the pointing, stepped on the fourth, and soon crawled all the way into her palm. She chuckled and trembled at the same time, bringing the frightened one close to her chest, which had bulged a bit against her shirt. She hadn't turned into Lynda by will for two years, and now with Sheik around, the experience only felt worse. She wanted the hat back so bad, it was almost stifling. She hoped that Saria had turned him out of the Temple and put him in the forest somewhere, preferably at the bottom of a poisonous swamp.

She folded the gauntlets over the Hat before holding it, in case the magic spooked the pup. The little wolf eagerly licked her hand, and Lynda giggled. She rocked the wolf slowly, cooing softly, "I'm taking you to the Temple, okay? I'm going to take you to Rulf and Gaia and let them handle you. They're very nice, you know."

The pup yipped happily, until it froze and began to tremble again.

There was an inhuman roar that made Lynda jump back, and made her pale.

* * *

Lynda watched from the ground, shaken. She'd been able to dodge the skeleton's blade only for a while, tripping on a stone to be slashed on the thigh. The next dodge had resulted in a trip, and she'd faced a raised sword and a triumphant Stalfos.

Until the blurry figure had come, that is.

His face was covered under a silken scarf; the side of the face she could see (which was the right) was hidden also under a fringe. He broke through the Stalfos' defence with an up-cut kick at its shield and a deft turn that put the two fighters nose-to-nose, stabbing a short blade through to the skull.

The black cloud that was the armed Skeleton's essence was being sucked up by the sword, and she realised that it was bewitched. The aura it gave reminded her of the Master Sword, except it was nowhere near as powerful as the Legendary blade. And it seemed as if he had to edge the blade on with spells, and it wasn't going fast enough; the Stalfos was raising its sword, intending to take the man to the other side with it.

Lynda dashed forward, despite her tired muscles and the cut at her thigh. She dived onto the skeletal arm that held the sword and yanked, making it go slightly disjointed.

The blade sparked to life. The demon roared and disappeared in a series of blue and green fire, leaving only harmless ash the wind could blow away.

Both crumbled to the ground, exhausted.

Sheik felt his strength diminish because of the spell. He hadn't cast such a powerful one as that in what seemed like forever, as there weren't many demons left from Ganondorf's reign (which, in retrospect, never actually happened) and none dared to roam the field freely. And Viper, his blade, hadn't fought many demons either. Perhaps the stay in the forest would rejuvenate the blade's fullest potential. He wouldn't have minded staying at all, if it weren't for the war in the outside world.

Sheik looked upon the victim, intending to thank her for the help, and his eyes widened.

A girl around his age if not slightly younger looked back at him, trembling in fatigue and what he hoped wasn't fear. She wore a yellow tunic, or a skirt, he didn't know which, with a loose under shirt with a collar that fell untidily over her neckline. She was holding a wolfos pup in her arms, and the little creature was trembling also. Her hair was a beautiful colour of spun sunlight and honey, dusted with a darker shade of gold. Her skin was not as tanned as his own, but sun-kissed to a beautiful shade of cream. Her dark blue eyes were cool, if not calm, emotion stirring in her orbs like stormy weather. She had an air about her that said she belonged, and that she represented every flower, every splendour in the forest.

Sheik lost his tongue as well as his jaw, and was glad that he had taken the liberty of wearing his scarf before exploring the forest itself. "Um… uh… thank you, for… helping me."

Lynda jolted in fear, shaking. This was it. Sheik had seen her. He was _speaking_ to her. She'd be found out, be ridiculed, and then who knew what. She was unarmed, couldn't protect herself. She couldn't register the fact that he'd thanked her.

"Miss…?" Sheik prompted, making Lynda jolt again.

Then realisation dawned on her; he'd called her miss. His eyes looked at her in concern, and the memories from the Instant resurfaced. A ghost of a pain around her neck hovered under her skin, and she held her hand to her throat, croaking slightly.

Sheik, however, misinterpreted. "Are … are you mute?"

Without thinking Lynda nodded.

Sheik frowned a little, but nodded. He didn't know what to make of a mute lady being attacked in the middle of the forest while holding a wolfos pup (except find it completely and utterly suspicious), but it seemed only right to help her. And besides, she could be hurt.

As if in cue to the thought, the wolfos pup growled in worry, licking the young woman's hand. She suddenly felt the flaring pain at the cut in her thigh and gave a groan. Sheik's visible eye widened; her leggings around the wound was soaked in blood.

"Shoot . . . !" He lifted his hand, as if attempting to touch her, and in fright Lynda shuffled back. Her heart was racing and her leg was aching. She didn't know what kind of person Sheik was, and didn't feel too inclined to know either. Even if she hadn't been afraid of physical contact, she still wouldn't have wanted to be touched.

A sigh escaped the young man. Determination lit his ruby eyes, and he said, "My name is Savir Varekai of the Tribe of Tears. I can see you're hurt; I'd like to heal you."

Lynda blinked twice and screwed her face in confusion.

Savir… Vare-wha?

* * *

"I'm Sheikah." He said, pulling back his fringe a second to give a good show of his eyes before letting it flop back, "I don't tell my name to people often; people usually call me 'Sheik'."

There was a confused and disbelieving look on the woman's face as she cocked her head to the side. Even the pup looked at him with a flat gaze, and Sheik averted his eyes, feeling uncharacteristically shy. He was talking to a mute and a dog. Why did he suddenly feel so self-conscious? "I know a spell of healing. If you'd allow me to look at your wound, I can . . ."

She shuffled back, alarmed, whimpering as well.

Sheik knotted his eyebrows, and Lynda saw her mistake. If she acted too much like she had as Link – fearing being touched – he'd find out. He wasn't stupid; that was obvious.

Lynda averted her gaze, colour coming back to her face. She needed to work something out, needed a good excuse! She glanced at Viper, and pointed at it. Sheik looked at her, than the blade, and brought it to her. She shuffled back again and shook her head, gesturing what she hoped looked like dust flying or something that looked misty.

"I won't hurt you." Sheik prompted, and Lynda shook her head, making more gestures. Slow and weaving, her fingers making waves.

Sheik knotted his eyebrows. Water? But there was nothing there. And it had to do with Viper. What was flowing and went around it? Sheik thought it over. "You're… afraid of magic? Is that it?"

She nodded.

Sheik could only be incredulous at this piece of information. He had known friends of friends that didn't trust magic, but he had never heard of people actually fearing it. And how could he help her, when what she feared was the best way he could think of to healing? He had no bandages with him, as all his medical tools were with his pack, and the bleeding on her leg was quite bad.

Sheik unsheathed Viper once more. Well, he thought, resigned, if he couldn't get bandages, might as well make them.

He cut at his tunic a bit and began ripping, the cloth tearing across the seams. He kept going until he was left with not a tunic but a shirt, and he cut the bandage off, and folded it up before handing it to her. He saw with satisfaction that it was very long, and the cloth was clean enough to be used.

"It's just been cleaned, and it's the only part that hasn't been soaked in sweat, so you won't have worry about infections."

Unbeknownst to Sheik, Lynda made the same recollection as she took the purple dressing, a sliver of guilt creeping into her gut. And she now saw that the fabric was something very rare and extravagant; both hard to get and expensive. Purple dye was one of, if not the hardest, to make and Sheik had willingly ruined it. She looked worriedly at his shirt, and noticing her gaze, he waved a hand.

"I never liked this tunic; I'm glad it's come to good use."

And Sheik turned and looked away, leaning on the back of his hands to look up at the leaves. Lynda took off her boot, blushing. As she began fixing her leg, she realised that the pup had gone to Sheik, or Savir, or whoever he was, and the man was scratching the little creature's forehead, a fond glow in his eye. Lynda hastily finished bandaging herself. She didn't know what the pup would do around him, and didn't want to know either. The Sheikah was an outsider, a stranger to the forest. A child of the woods like the little creature shouldn't mingle with foreigners.

She scooted up to the pup and tried coax him her way.

Sheik noticed this and smiled again, making her jolt. "You like Wolfos?" he asked, and hesitantly, steadily, Lynda nodded. At this he grinned and turned, resting the pup in his lap, letting the little one explore around his legs. He was mesmerized once again by her appearance. He asked, "What's your name?"

Lynda gulped, trying to think up a good name she could respond to. But what _could_ she respond to? What did she like? Flowers. What flowers were there in the forest? Daisies, poppies, lilies, lilacs, roses, cherry-blossoms, buttercups, carnations, _anything_!

She looked around a second before pointing, and when Sheik looked he saw a clump of silver ferns, and looked back. "Your name's Fern?"

Actually, she'd pointed to the Maple tree, but it didn't matter.

He smiled kindly again — Lynda couldn't help but notice just how often he smiled — and he stood, offering her a hand, "I'll escort you to wherever you live. It'll be a hard walk for you, with that injury."

* * *

"Thank the deities…" Link groaned, resting in his room, breathing deeply but raggedly. His room was on the highest floor, the fifth, and the hardest one to come across. There were several windows open to wind and rain, and he welcomed them, although when it did start pouring he always moved the bed away.

It had been very, very, very hard to get rid of Sheik. No matter how many times 'Fern' shook both hands and head, he would insist on helping her.

Suck up, Link thought with mild irritation.

He couldn't exactly remember how, but he had given the Wolfos pup to the Sheikah, gesturing that he should take it to the Temple, as she was going the other way and the place she lived in wasn't very far. He'd reluctantly gone as soon as she pretended to leave and hid behind a tree, not even giving a glance to the clump of cloth at the far side of the clearing, where gauntlets wrapped an all too familiar hat.

Lynda had grabbed it and jammed it onto her head, turning to Link before running as hard as he could, playing the Minuet of Forest to get back to the Temple before Sheik did. Now he was there, in his room, breathing slow, deep and relaxed breaths.

He was never turning back to Lynda again. Never, ever, _ever_.

But the time of the month was slowly but surely coming. He could feel it in the hat's magic, as it became weaker with every opening day until it was time, when he'd be forced into living three days as the thing he most disliked being. That was why his room was so important; he didn't have to leave its comforting walls for as long as he wanted to do whatever he wished. Lynda was a prisoner to these walls. It was only when it was direly necessary that she went out, whether it be for a bath, or a need to visit the bathroom.

Speaking of Sheik, Link wondered whether he'd come back. He was in no hurry to meet him, no hurry at all, but he was worried for the pup that he'd given away. Link stood and nudged the door out of the way as he weaved through the corridors of the top level that defied all sense of gravity.

Link grimaced as he stood in a jack-knifed corridor, looking out a window to see that the horizon was cutting the view in a diagonal line, the trees covering the top half, the sky the bottom half.

* * *

Sheik couldn't help but smile as he looked at Spike—the pup he'd brought from the lost woods—play with other pups, rolling in the grass and dirt as the mother watched over the little ones with a gaze only a mother gave to her child. Sheik watched from the stair that led to the temple itself, grinning at the rolling masses of fur and friendly teeth. Spike was winning the wrestle with his brother, and as the little one fought, he thought of his own fight with the Stalfos.

Or more specifically, the meeting that fight led to.

Fern. Somehow she had lodged herself into his head, and he couldn't prize her out. She'd been jumpy, frightened, and possibly even distrustful. She'd avoided his offered hand and left in a hurry, as if she didn't want anything to do with him. Sheik didn't know why, but he wanted to see that mysterious woman again, and was eager to know more about her. And there was something about her that just kept niggling at the back of his mind.

Hadn't he seen her somewhere?

The front door opened with what seemed like a smug click. "Hey, what're you doing down here with Gaia un_harmed_?"

Sheik felt a vein bulge at his forehead. Just when he thought he was going to have a long, quiet time with his thoughts, Link has to come. He turned to meet the Hero of Time, with his smug grin and heartless gaze. Sheik was about to throw a retort, but then a thought hit him, rendering him speechless.

Link frowned. "What're you staring at?"

Sheik jolted out of his thinking and said, "Nothing. Just… nothing."

Link's face contorted into not of suspicion but of bewilderment. He'd been expecting a snap or a retort, at the very least. Perhaps Sheik was mellowing down. Or perhaps he wasn't being hard enough. Link was about to say something that might've got onto Sheik's nerves, when he was interrupted. "I wanted to apologize."

Link blinked in confusion. "…what?"

Sheik looked up at the Hylian again and said, "I'm sorry. I had no right to call you a coward."

Link blinked again and coughed, disbelief making his throat close off. He was about to growl and say something rude, when a hand tugged at his green tunic, making both mortals jump at the sage's presence.

"You should say sorry too, Link." Saria said, tugging at Link's tunic hem again. Link snarled and turned his nose the other way, stubbornly crossing his arms.

"No."

Saria scowled. "You hurt Sheik bad with that flood. You may have done a good job cleaning the Temple, but I don't enjoy having one person having fun and the other person having a seriously hard time. Now apologize."

Unwillingly guilt welled in Link's gut, but still he looked away stubbornly. "No."

Saria let go of Link's hem and put her hands to her hips. "Link, you apologize now or you won't get your weekly allowance."

To Sheik's amazement, Link spun around with panic and alarm on his expression, "What!? But Saria I need that allowance! If I don't save up I won't be able to…"

"Then apologize. Now."

To Sheik's bemused amusement, Link's face began to colour with heat. He seemed to waver, as if trying to get himself to say he didn't need the allowance—whatever that was—but it seemed he wasn't so strong willed and stubborn. He sighed, buried his face in his hands and said, "Fine. I'm _sorry_ for making your day really bad."

Saria nodded sternly and said, "Good. And will you promise me you won't do it again?"

Link let his face go to glare at both his friend and his enemy. "You said I had to apologize to get my allowance. I won't stop making your life a misery, Sheik. I'll make sure you stay out of my life until I'm willing to let you into it."

"Oh, I'm sure." Sheik groaned, rolling his eyes. This caused Link only to go redder and wrench the door to the Temple open and close it with a slam, enraged and humiliated and very, very pissed off in general. Sheik sighed and shook his head, waving at the puppies to carry on playing, as they'd stopped to look at the sudden commotion.

Saria sighed and sat down next to him, hugging her knees. "He wasn't like that, you know. A couple of years ago."

Sheik glanced at her before asking, "Before he decided he didn't want to be touched?"

Saria nodded forlornly. "It sucks. I'm a sage and I don't seem to be able to help him."

Sheik shrugged and replied, "Just because you're a sage, it doesn't mean you're all powerful. You're going to have to wait till he's ready to open up, I'm afraid."

The Kokiri gritted her teeth. "That's what I thought too. But you know what? He hasn't been opening up for the last two years. He's been self destructive, and uncaring, and . . . I'm worried about him."

The prisoner of the Temple sighed. He had a rough idea as to where this was going. "You want me to investigate on his problem? Is that what you want?"

She bit her lip, and nodded. "You won't go unrewarded. I'll let you out as early as possible…"

"I'll do it on two conditions. First I have to leave before the end of the month; that's my deadline of my mission, and if I fail the war outside will start full throttle. Second, you have to tell me all you know about _Her_."

She winced and said, "Who're you talking about . . . ?"

Sheik scoffed. "You know who. The Hylian girl you really don't want to talk about."

The forest sage froze, and said, "And what if I don't . . . ?"

"Link will stay destructive, arrogant, and a teenaged nightmare. The King will eventually call through Zelda and if you don't let me go by then, soldiers would attack anyway. And if that doesn't happen, the Sheikah will come and get me first."

Saria's eyes flickered and darkened, letting Sheik see the horrible things she could do. Or more specifically, what the forest could do when it was very, very angry. Sheik saw bandits get strangled to death by Ivy, men retching foam and blood as they breathed in poisoned flying pollen, children crying and screaming as their finger tips slowly lost flesh as it crumpled like sand, slowly turning into Stalchildren.

A shiver went down Sheik's spine. And to think, that had only been the start.

"You're threatening the Forest itself, with those words." Saria hissed, her voice ancient and booming, "You dare risk such a foolish life as yours?"

He squarely met her gaze. "They're not threats. They're warnings. I don't care much for death."

Saria considered him with the deepened eyes, the forest judging him through her gaze. After a second she sighed and the Kokiri girl returned, her expression pouting. "Alright," she said, "I'll tell you as much as I can about her. I guess you deserve that much."

Sheik nodded in a satisfied manner. Finally, he was getting somewhere.

"The Deku tree took her in when she was a year old. She lived with me until she could be disguised enough to be a Kokiri, and that was when she was six. She lived independently for the most part, until she was cast away when the people realised she wasn't one of them. She lives in the forest right now."

Sheik frowned. The information was very, very vague. "You know anything about her family?"

Saria shook her head. "No. Only the Deku tree knows, and I think he was going to tell her more about it, but he never got the chance, since she wasn't even allowed to say goodbye to him when she left."

Sheik hummed and twiddled with the ruined tunic. There were several holes in her story, and it troubled him. "Does Link know her?"

Saria sighed. "Not much." She admitted, choosing her words carefully, "He didn't see her much when he was in the village. Never got much of a chance. And since he went around Hyrule as the Hero of Time, then moved here, he didn't see her much at all."

Sheik couldn't help but be unimpressed by the information. Their far too many holes in the story for his liking. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, and none of them seemed casual enough to use. He asked instead, "Do you perhaps know of a girl that lives here? By the name of Fern? She's a mute."

Saria cocked an incredulous eyebrow. "You ask a lot about girls, you know that?"

Sheik couldn't help but be a little defensive. "I just wanted to know who she was."

The forest sage shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't know who you're talking about."

Disappointment sunk his heart. "Well, in that case, thank you for your time. Do you think I could ask more about the Hylian later?"

Saria seemed sad. "Yeah… I guess. Hey? Could you tell me why this is so important? It's just that… well, it's strange. And it has to do with the forest and all…"

Saria looked at Sheik in a hopeful manner. Sheik wanted to tell her to spite Zelda and the King, but it was also his duty as a warrior to his people to keep silent. "I can't but…"

A thought dawned on him. Maybe, just maybe . . .

"Maybe," he continued, "Zelda could tell you. I can't because of my duty, but Zelda . . . she never said that she'd keep quiet about it, and she's the Seventh Sage. You sages have to work together to keep things in balance, so maybe she'll tell you enough to give you a good hint on what's going on."

Saria seemed sadder. "But if she doesn't want to tell me, she won't."

He shrugged. "Tell her you're upset that I'm here. You want to know why, what's this about the girl the Sheikah goes on about but never reveals, and about ordering your friend Link around. Tell her you won't let me or Link go for a long while if she won't give you the right answers. She's messing with your turf without permission. You're allowed to bite back."

The Kokiri girl blinked with amazement. "You're good."

Sheik grinned. "I have to be, with my job."

Saria considered his words and stood, conviction in her stance. "I'll do it. But please get Link out of his shell."

"I'll try."

Saria nodded gladly and disappeared in a cascade of green light, making Sheik sigh forlornly, letting him go over the worrying suspicions that were whirling around his head.

Fern. How did he know that she was really mute? How did he know that his name wasn't fake? Link reminded him of her. So did Zelda. Heck, mix those two together, and he got a real close replica of the Seventh Sage. He might as well have found the Lost Princess; it _had_ to be her.

Sheik shook his head. Despite the obviousness of it, he really didn't want her to be the one. He'd somehow got his head full of her, wondering who she really was (aside from being the Princess), what she was really like, somehow wanting to know all about the unimprtant things abot her, like what her favourite colour was. And he liked the image in his head as it was; the jewels that would come with her title seemed almost... tainting.

But if she really was Zelda's twin, he was in deep manure.

* * *

**Hello peoples! Thank yous so much for waiting patiently, and decided to read this. I hope you like it, and if you don't like it, flame me. I don't care if you do. But if you like it, please tell me why, so I can develop on those aspects! (Do you like the humour ,you want more action, drama, whatever . . . ?)**

**Please review. I like reviews very much.**

**See you next time!**

**S.S.**


	5. Frustration and fear

_**Frustration and Fear**_

Link grinned to himself as he got changed into his red tunic, clipping the belt over his clothing. He glanced at the face mirror to ruffle his hair a little more—it evened out the lift from the fight between his head and the pillow—and left, bare feet making tapping noises against the wooden floors. And he'd dreamt up ways to torment Sheik again, and he couldn't wait to test them out. Link regretted using the flood idea first, since that had almost been a last resort of his own, but then again, now he had a chance to be a more creative with this new company.

Link couldn't help but smile.

There were so many things to do today!

Link hopped out of the window from the second floor, can't be bothered with the stairs. He grabbed a branch to lessen the force of gravity and hopped down safely on the ground, grinning as he plucked a plum from the branch. As he ate he went into the Temple, careful as to not drip any juice onto the floors. After all, they were newly cleaned.

Link grinned as he opened the door to the front lawn, noting the two wolves that rested at each side of the stairs protectively. Gaia seemed pretty happy, so Link nodded to her, and then to her sister Yawl, and threw the plum stone away. He was about to go, when Gaia snorted and gestured towards the archway that led to the broken stairs with her nose, making Link curious. He jogged through, stopping at the precipice of the shattered steps. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, until he felt the presence of a stranger, making his muscles taut.

He snarled and grabbed the dagger at his belt, crouching a second before jumping down, barring his weapon.

Again, he found nothing.

Confused, he turned and sighed in relief, finding only a sleeping Sheikah and his camp. Sheik was wearing something different from yesterday, Link realised, and he examined the sleeping young man, the feminine curiosity overwhelming. He was wearing a black loose shirt, the symbol of his people, the weird-looking-eye, was stained at his shoulder, and Link saw that had been added in later; it was crude and very awkward. Sheik was also wearing brownish breeches, and leather shoes that went just above his ankles.

Link hummed, finding the situation boring. He couldn't really mess with someone while they were asleep, now could you?

Or could he . . . ?

Link grinned like a madman and activated Furore's wind so he could travel back to his room as quickly as he could. He would have to run back with the equipment to Sheik's camp, but who cared? He appeared in his room, and the racket he made as he looked for the things he needed woke Navi up. As he ran, she sleepily fluttered around his head, refusing to be left behind.

"Link, what're you doing?"

"A prank that you'd approve of."

Hastily explaining as he ran through the temple with the props precariously held in his hands, Navi listened, nodded, and snickered softly as Link reached Sheik's camp and did his deed.

His fun was destroyed, however, when he saw that the Sheikah was awake.

* * *

Sheik felt totally un-amused as he swung his sword wildly, cursing the Hero over and over again as he went through his fighting routines. Sheik couldn't help but wonder furiously, why the hell couldn't the Hero of Time just grow up and act like a civilized adult? Sheik slashed and wheeled, jabbing at an invisible enemy, thinking over what had happened when he'd entered the Forest Temple.

He'd woken up to find the Hero of Time standing over hism, with lots of little pots and brushes in his hands. Sheik had wondered why he was even there when the Hylian grumbled and walked away. Finding it suspicious, Sheik had tried to foloow him, failed and decided that it was best that he paid his repsects to the Temple before he tried anything today.

When he'd tried to open the door to the Temple, paint had splashed all over him. Link had burst out laughing wildly from a near-by bush.

Sheik had sighed dejectedly as he crossed the Temple grounds to sit in front of the pond, wetting his mask first before slipping into the water himself, getting rid of the colourful muck.

With a yell he swiped the killing blow, the image of the Hero of Time fading as he imagined blood squirting from the wound Sheik would've inflicted if he'd been there. Sheik gasped, out of breath, wiping the sweat away from his face (checking again there wasn't any ink on his hand), finally gotten his anger out of his system, and his clothes dry from the hot excursion.

But how he _hated_ that bloody bastard! How he _loathed_ his attitude! Sheik mentally laughed at himself for thinking for even one small, insignificant second, that Link had looked like that girl he had seen two days ago. Sheik'd looked for her the other day in the forest, hoping to get another glance of her, hoping to have her company. He'd wanted so bad to have someone to talk to, and Sheik had looked for her, finding nothing.

And why, oh _why_ did he ever think that Link had some sort of similarity with her?

Fern. Was that really her name, Sheik wondered again. Could she really be . . . no. She couldn't be Zelda's twin. Or else, that meant that Sheik had grown very attached to a royal. There was no way he could let himself fall so easily, let himself like someone he knew next to nothing of . . .

The Sheikah found himself distracted as he felt a presence nearby. He sheathed his sword, guessing straight away that it would be Link, ducking behind a tree to find his guess had been correct. Link was strolling past the very area where Sheik had been training, and for second felt an urge to stab him in the back. But then, he seemed pretty high on instincts too, the Hero of Time, so Sheik decided wisely not to kill him; besides, the Forest Sage wouldn't be too happy either.

But it intrigued him, suddenly. Where was Link going? What was he doing? Did he actually have something to do in the Forest?

Curious, Sheik followed.

* * *

Navi gave a worried whimper as she bobbed around Link's head.

Link sighed and shook his head, looking over to his fairy in a bored manner. "Navi, stop worrying. Sheik's _fine_, he passed the first prank, didn't he? The second one was _nothing_ compared to the party."

He couldn't help but smirk, as he recalled the whole flood and the bubbles. He however cut the memories off before Sheik could get the chance to insult him. He was getting very good at forgetting what he wanted to forget. Very, very good at it in fact.

He was glad of it.

"But . . . but he seemed pretty mad . . ."

Link waved it off. "Don't worry. It was just some ink. You cracked up big time when it was the Know-it-all brothers? Why aren't you fussing about it like last time? _You should've placed the ink further apart! It would've added more colour,_ you used to say. What's the matter?"

Genuine concern etched his face, plucking the blue orb from the air to let it rest on his palm. She was fluttering uneasily, and her glow was green. She only did that when she felt sick. "It's just that, I thought you might want proper company, you know? You've been cooped up for a while . . ."

He rolled his eyes. "I have _not_ been cooped up. I _like_ it here! And I visit Darunia a lot, don't I? And I give Epona night rides! She loves night rides; you know that?"

Navi turned from Green to blue, which was both a good and bad sign.

She said, "How long since you visited the desert for the Queen's Party?"

"Uhm . . ."

"When was the last time you went to Kakariko for a good shooting?"

"Yeah about that . . ."

"You haven't gone for a swim in Lake Hylia for _ages_."

"It's winter now . . ."

"There was a carnival in the Market place a couple of weeks ago."

"Hey. I went to the Carnival in Termina only a month ago!"

The glow suggested that Navi's gaze on him was flat and sadistic. "A _month_ ago."

Link shifted his eyes to his sides before saying, "Well, I'm going to go see Skullkid now, aren't I?"

The way she did a small circle told him that she had just rolled her eyes. "You sure he won't shoot darts at you, after not seeing you for what seems like for_ever_?"

"Navi, I think you should shut it."

"But really Link . . ."

"I said shut it!" he hissed, bobbling her up back into the air, "I think someone's following . . ."

He looked cautiously back and forth, left and right, making sure that he saw nobody. But the fact that his alarms in his head were going off meant that at least something was around, and perhaps had been for a while. It seemed to lurk where he could only catch fleeting feelings of his presence; whatever it was that was following him, it was smart.

Link began to walk, pretending he had noticed nothing, but still the fleeting feeling of a lurking presence was still there. Link began thinking of ways to escape, and then grinned.

"Race you there!" he said to his fairy, suddenly dashing.

She gave a yelp and followed, and the pursuing entity did the same. Link felt it all the more, the panic to stay near him, the curiosity of what he was doing. Link licked his lips as he turned a corner that led nowhere near the Skullkid, much to Navi's fury; he wanted to see who was following him. He turned a few bends before diving up a tree fairly easy to climb, just barely getting onto a branch and settling silently before the pursuer came into the clearing, looking around, wondering where Link had gone.

Link felt disgust turning his insides.

Sheik was there, scarf and all, looking incredulously around for his quarry that he had followed so closely only moments ago. Link wondered why Sheik would want to follow him, but decided he didn't want to know. If it had got something to do with his secret, he was in no mood to find out about it. Link slowly lifted himself onto his feet, balancing precariously on the branch. He then pressed a finger to his lips to request silence from his fairy companion, and went into moving around and slowly… _slowly_, step onto another branch and in means of escape.

Link froze and the leaves rustled, Sheik looked up distractedly, but still seemed to look around for any sign of someone hiding.

The Hero of Time gasped in panic, gingerly placing his hand on his hat, tugging at the twig that had hooked into a hole he had neglected fixing. He tugged urgently but carefully on the cap, hoping beyond all hope that it would un-snag and let him go.

However fate had different ideas.

Link gasped in total despair and panic when the Hat left his head. Panic made him take a hasty step into thin air, and as if in slow motion, Link felt himself drop, drop, drop…

A high shriek instead of a low yell escaped his lips as he dropped, spread eagled, back-long hair whipping in the wind as she fell down on the unsuspecting Sheikah.

* * *

Pain. Why did it like him so?

Sheik groaned as he felt the person that had landed on him hastily step off, and he looked up to meet frightened blue eyes and a mass of beautiful honeyed coloured hair.

Sheik decided he didn't mind the pain at all.

He brushed the grass off the front of his black shirt. "We meet again." He said, and hesitantly, Lynda nodded.

"What were you doing up there anyway?" Sheik asked as he stood, brushing grass off of his trousers, "Seems an odd place for a person to be in . . ."

Rage and fear snaked into Lynda's system. She wouldn't have _been_ there in the first place if the bloody bastard hadn't followed her! And where the hell was Navi?

Sheik offered her a hand and said, "How's your leg? Has it been feeling better?"

Lynda looked at the hand that was offered to her as if it were a snake that may bite her any second. How did she know that he wouldn't do anything once he had her hand? But still, if she did not take it, he'd become suspicious. He wasn't stupid enough to see the connection between Link and her; with reluctance she grasped the hand and let herself be pulled up.

Sheik had not expected her to be so light; he pulled her hard enough to make her stumble, and briefly, their bodies touched.

Sheik stepped hastily away, averting his gaze rather sheepishly.

Lynda blinked, wondering what was wrong with him. His face (or the parts that Lynda could see) was a warm shade of pink, and he stubbornly avoided her gaze. After an awkward second Sheik gathered himself; he couldn't let a near insignificant touch get to him like that. He should've been used to those kinds of things by now, why did a girl he knew nothing of draw such impact from him?

Sheik cleared his throat and asked, "Um… so… you're going somewhere?"

Lynda nodded.

"I can escort you, if you like."

Lynda shook her head hard.

But a small voice said, "We'd love to."

Lynda snapped her face up to see a green orb of light fluttering in the air, buzzing and frenzying in what looked like nervousness or worry. _Shit_, Lynda thought, _Navi's here! Sheik'll find out, he'll see the connection . . . !_

Sheik batted an eyelid, and watched the fairy closely, but said ntohgin excpet, "So where were you going?"

The green fairy fluttered nervously and said, "We… we um… uh… we were going to, to, to the cliffs. You ride the wind there."

"You can _actually_ ride the winds here?"

The fairy did an eccentric sort of bobbing, and Lynda had to stop her in case she really continued it for hours on end.

"So," Sheik said, gesturing with his hand, "Do you think you could lead the way?"

* * *

Lynda was _not_ in a good mood.

She was no longer afraid—an improvement for sure—but she was very, very, displeased. She had _not _intended to come out in Sheik's view as Fern, or Lynda or… oh _whatever_! Navi wasn't supposed to have come out, she hadn't expected to fall out of a tree, and she hadn't intended to go to the cliffs with him—although that was where she and Skulkid had intended to meet. This was going all wrong. If only Navi had kept quiet, only if only…

They reached the cliff a little quicker than expected. And there was no sign of Skulkid, much to Lynda's dismay. She wanted someone near her that knew her, someone that would help her fight Sheik back if he did something weird.

In answer to her thought something very sharp and that looked like a long stick protruded from Sheik's shoulder, making him stagger backwards with a pained curse. More and more rained down, coming at one at a time and from different directions. Sheik dived in front of Lynda and put his hands in guard position, whacking the sticks away as they came down like angry hornets.

Navi sped up into the trees, sickly green with worry. She disappeared into the leaves as Sheik savagely pulled out the stick from his shoulder, blood oozing onto his black shirt.

Lynda sighed and extended a hand, her fingertips glowing as they hovered over his wound. She may not have liked him, but that did not mean that she wanted him hurt. It wasn't like he was an _enemy_. Just… a very inconvenient guest. Sheik felt a stinging as magic knitted his skin together, leaving a small indent of skin where he had been pierced.

He blinked, gingerly rubbing at the punctured skin that didn't hurt anymore. "Thanks."

She shook her head and waved a hand in dismissal as Navi came back from above the trees. And a split second later something black and red dropped down from the trees, and landed with a thud onto the grassy floor, glowing yellow eyes gleaming and a rather childish and ominous snicker coming from the scrawny figure.

For a second, Sheik thought that what he was seeing was a scarecrow, but then realised was another type of child of the forest, an Adopted One. Its body was composed of bone, its skin and flesh a tangible kind of shadow. Its scraggly clothing frayed and trailed everywhere, and the skeletal mask it wore expressed its scrawniness all the more.

Sheik not only found it creepy, but fascinating. He loved magic.

"Skulkid, this is Sheik." The fairy said, and Sheik nodded. The entity known as Skulkid puthis hand to his mask and lifted it as if to get a better view of the Sheikah. Its yellow glowing eyes, he realised, wasn't so ominous. It was more of a misunderstood glow, and it was round and innocent, with a hint of benevolence. It had no nose, it seemed, and its thick lips were open in an 'o', studying him intently. Then it smiled and snickered again before lowering his mask.

"Let's fly let's fly!" he said, dancing on the spot. Sheik felt himself be pushed to the side as Fern strode away from him, grinning happily as she reached Skulkid's side, sharing a complicated but practiced high-five with the spirit.

Sheik felt himself sulk a bit. Fern had never smiled around him like that.

But that thought disappeared as Fern turned back to him and waved him over, Skulkid already having taken a route towards a massive tree. Sheik followed, the green fairy bobbing up and down beside Fern's head. He looked over the cliff, and felt himself gulp.

It was so friggin' high it just wasn't funny.

He guessed he was facing south east, as he vaguely remembered that the whole field tilted upward towards the north, while it tilted down when it went south towards the lake. "You sure this is safe, Fern . . . ?"

He was answered by Skulkid, who said, "Scary makes fun. Try, try! Fly, let us, leaves will." And gave him a leaf that looked like a hybrid between flax and acorn leaf, which was big as himself.

"Um… thanks." He glanced at Fern, who was holding hers excitedly, grinning like mad. When she caught his gaze her grin turned a little smug. She ran towards him, past him, and with a sudden and carefree leap, jumped over the edge of the cliff.

Sheik panicked like he had never panicked before.

What the effing hell was she doing? Sheik's heart raced like mad as she saw her drop down further and further into the canopy of trees at the bottom of the cliff, not knowing what to do.

"Fly, fly!" Skulkid whooped, before plunging into space after her.

Sheik swore viciously. He looked around, found nothing that would inspire him, and jumped down also.

It was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.

As he fell, he saw far below, what Fern was doing. She was standing on the leaf she had been given, almost like a board, spinning in the wind that was blasting up the air rapidly towards him…

Sheik hopped on only a second before being too late.

The wind buffeted his ride upwards, and he had to strain his feet to his stay on. It swerved and rose as he tried to stay in control, the board twisting and jerking in the wind and pretty much doing it's best to fling him off the leaf. Adrenaline pumped through his blood and as his ride rocked him up and down, corkscrewing down and totally out of control.

Sheik was rather enjoying the experience.

He glanced down and to the side and saw that Fern was enjoying her time also. She squealed and laughed as Skulkid dived and bombed through the air, his body light and small enough to go on without a giant leaf.

They carried on, Fern doing tricks, Sheik copying them some well, others rather clumsily. The grin that she gave him every time he failed made him sheepish somewhat, but her grin had an intoxicating affect on him. He wanted to see that smile over and over and over again . . .

The ground was very quickly coming closer and closer, and with a sickening feeling the Sheikah realised that he didn't know how to land safely. He glanced desperately towards Fern and saw her fumbling with the ends of the leaf. He crouched low and did the same, and suddenly it clicked.

They jumped off at the same time.

Together they hung on to their rides like parachutes, swinging slowly down to the carpet of green.

* * *

Saria was absolutely _furious_.

All those years of being kept in the dark! Why had the Deku tree kept it such a big secret? Why hadn't the forest ever hinted about it? Sure, she had never asked, but what about all those nights when Lynda had sobbed herself to sleep, when she had wanted a mother, a father, or even a sibling? When Saria had had to listen silently, knowing that the pain Lynda had been going through was something she had wished to go through alone? The Forest Sage had prayed for the girl's family, had asked that if there were any relatives around, perhaps they could help her.

Saria stomped through the main room, emanating a power that only a strong emotion like rage could emit.

At this very moment Sheik strolled through the front door, looking rather happy. That is, until he saw the Forest Sage. "Um… are you okay?"

Sheik knew she was not okay, but decided it was worth asking, in case it was his imagination that was making him see the air around her shimmering with heat, or dangerous magic.

"Oh, I'll be fine, as soon as I get a good long _chat_ with a certain old tree." Saria growled, softly, but somehow the magic around her magnified her voice, making it deep and threatening.

Sheik decided not to question her, due to the fact that with every step she took, Saria made plants grow. Small shoots of fern and bramble, ivy and rather exotic looking leaves sprouted where she laid her foot, but as soon as she left that particular piece of ground, the plants withered away instantaneously, leaving a trail of dead flora.

That was a powerful amount of energy that was for sure. And it didn't look too healthy either.

Saria went to the elevator and jumped on, going down to the Revolving room. She wrenched the door to the hallway and strutted inside, growling curses that were considered very, very rude in Kokiri standards. As she climbed the stairs she found herself running, fuelled by her tremendous anger.

She skidded to a stop in front of the black picture and screamed, "Show me the Deku tree!"

The picture shimmered like disturbed water. It then bloomed green leaves and blue dotted pieces of sky, and soon the young Deku sprout lay in the canvas, life like and in full size. The young but old tree smiled at the Forest Sage, seemingly unaware about the anger that was simmering the air around her.

"Oh! Hello, Saria! How's the majority of the Lost woods doing? I hope something bad hasn't happened, since, well, you _are_ calling …"

"Deku Tree," Saria smiled pleasantly before letting her face contort in rage, "Why didn't you tell me Lynda had _family_?"

* * *

"I wonder what's up with her."

Sheik turned his head to see Link at the base of the stairs, gazing at the where the elevator had been rather quizzically. He was wearing a blue tunic, unlike the flaming red tunic from the morning. His hair was tussled as if it had fought the wind; his hat was firmly on his head, despite the fact that it looked as if it had been pecked by several birds before being sewed back to its health. His fairy Navi was nowhere in sight; probably tucked into his hat, sound asleep.

Sheik felt a growing sense of dread as he looked at the Hero of Time. Yet, it fit together all too well.

Sheik took a shaky breath and said, "Your leg's bleeding."

The reaction he got was what he had hoped wouldn't happen; Link grabbed at the leg he'd been limping on for a day or two, only to find his leggings clean of the red liquid. Link seemed to be shaking as he sighed, and turned his head around to smile and say, "You nearly got me there, Sheik. I _do_ cut myself without realising."

"But you'd been limping for a day or two. Are you hurt?"

"It's… um… it's nothing."

"I guess you healed it by magic, right? Little glow at the hands and everything's good and dandy?"

"…No, actually, I had a red potion. That was all." Link hid his hands behind his back as he said this, a flicker of fear in his gaze.

"Hm. Right. Nice coloured tunic by the way. But red seemed to suit you more to me. Why did you get changed? Did something happen to it? Where were you anyway?"

After a hesitant second Link growled, "That's none of your business."

"Right. And…"

"Stop asking questions!" Link yelled as he stood, "It's my business in what I do throughout the day! Not yours!"

Sheik nodded. "Right again. But one can't help but wonder. And you know, come to think of it, I've never seen you without that hat. Why is that?"

Link took a careful step backwards, looking everywhere but at Sheik. His worry seemed to have agitated his companion too; Navi spun out of his hat in lazy circles, yawning softly before resting on his shoulder. "What's going on…?"

"Navi! Oh, I was just asking Link about his precious hat. You think _you_ could tell me why it's so special?" Sheik asked in a fake friendly tone, and for a small near-insignificant glimpse, Sheik saw her turn a worried and nervous green.

"I told you not to ask questions!" Link yelled hoarsely, looking rather sick himself.

Sheik took several steps down the staircase, his heart hammering wildly. "I've been seeing this girl in the forest for a while. You know her?"

Sheik saw Link's muscles tense for a second, despite his nonchalant words. "Oh, you mean Fern? Oh I know her. Yeah, she was spared from becoming a Forest Child, and she's been staying in the forest for about a couple of months now. She visits sometimes. I once tried to heal a cut on her hand but she freaked when she saw magic. I guess you know by now that she's mute."

Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "She was squealing and laughing and whimpering and groaning today. She seems to have a lot of voice, despite her apparent muteness. Not to mention, she healed a wound in my shoulder with magic too, and she didn't look too afraid when she used it."

Sheik saw Link's muscles tense again. There was sweat forming on his nose.

"I… I guess the forest swapped her words with magic as a price for sparing her. Laughter isn't exactly words and she'd have to get over magic sooner or later…"

"Never knew the forest could be so generous." Sheik muttered bitterly, making Link growl in anger.

"You're an exception."

"Joy."

Link yelled in frustration and turned to stomp towards the back wall. Sheik felt his fear grow, and the suspicions with it. He was getting close. Very close. Just a few more pushes on the right buttons and then, perhaps Link will spill.

Or, he could go for the desperate Last Resort, and see how Link reacts to it.

"Lynda."

Link turned and growled, "_What_?"

A shocked silence followed when the Hero of Time registered to the fact that he had responded to a name that he had forbidden himself to respond to for the last three years. Sheik seemed shocked too. And before the prisoner could think up any other thing to say,

Link fled for his life.

* * *

Link sobbed softly in his sheets, biting his lip so hard that blood flowed onto his pillow. He realised he'd been crying a lot lately, and had tried to stop himself from doing so by torturing his bottom lip, but had made it bleed; now he blamed his tears on that particular pain.

How dare Sheik do this to him! How dare he let him be attracted to his presence as a woman, as Fern, as Lynda, as… who the friggin' hell _was_ he? He was supposed to be the Hero of Time, strong and brave and out in the world! Why was he holed up in the Forest, frightened of a single touch by a man, crying into his pillow? Who was he? What was he? What was he supposed to _do_?

Despite himself Link saw in his mind Sheik's excitement at riding the wind, heard the triumph in his laughs as he mastered a trick or two, as they dived down the cliff over and over again. He saw his beautiful red eyes shine brightly as the wind caused tears to develop at the corner of his eyes, saw his long scarf whipping at the air above him like some majestic banner as he sailed down splendidly with a grace of a fierce lion.

Why was he remembering the bloody Sheikah damn it?

Link took deep harsh breaths between his sobbing, trying to calm himself. There was no point being angry, no point in crying either. He needed sleep; it was late in the night, and the moon was high up. He would get Sheik back for frightening him so in the morning. Link would stop at nothing to get his revenge, and it would not be harmless like his usual pranks.

He stopped sobbing later, but not out of exhaustion but of cold, clammy fear that sent shivers down his spine as he heard not deep sobs of a man, but trembling wailing of a woman.

Lynda began to cry harder as she acknowledged the warm sticky liquid in-between her legs, and the lost magic of the Hat. She was stuck for two and a half days in that body, and Sheik was still in the premises; she had failed to kick him out in time.

Navi gently nudged her blonde tresses comfortingly, saying, "You should get cleaned up, before Sheik wakes."

Lynda had wordlessly nodded, wiping her wet face as she reached for her towel.

She would go to the smoking swamp, where the liquid smelt of rotten eggs, but was warm and cleansing and good for her. The best thing was that Sheik would not go there for many reasons on end. He wouldn't be there… would he?

* * *

**Hello, fellow readers! I just wanted to say thank you for your patience in reading this story, and and the patience you had most likely required to read these got awefully long chapters. I'm really sorry about them, but yeah. I'll try to shorten them next time. If it makes you fell any better, this one, I shortened by two pages. _Two._**

**I'd also like to thank the eleven people who put this on their alert list, and the ten people who have put me on their favourites, if I already haven't thanked them through PMing (I believe one or two of the authors who were kind enough to put me on their favourites or alerts hadn't activated Private messaging . . . ).**

**Anyway, if you've read this far, please review. I'd like to see your comments. I don't mind flames at all, so go ahead and flame me if you want. It's good, constructive criticism, I say! Anyway, yeah. Thanks again!**

**I love saying thank you.**

**THANK YOU!**

**XD**

**S.S.**


	6. Under Pressure

_**Under Pressure**_

Sheik sighed miserably, shaking his head to and fro. He felt sick at the experiment he had done, and was now regretting it greatly, not knowing what to do. So, the Hero of Time was Fern? And in turn, Fern was…

Sheik looked up at the stars from the crumbling stairs above his camp, twinkling indifferently at his dilemma. He needed someone to talk to. He never really did, since his life had been so simple when it came to social events. Meet the target, get information, can't do it, trick them into it, and disappear before they thought of what exactly they had said. But now… he didn't know what to do.

Sheik found himself desperate enough to pray.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Sheik jumped when he saw the Sage sitting _right_ next to him.

He passed his hand through his hair agitatedly, disturbed and disoriented. "No. I… I'm lost. Not physically, but mentally. I think I'm loosing my mind." Sheik added with a small snicker, wishing for a second he really was loosing his mind.

Saria frowned and looked toward her knees. "I talked to Zelda. She didn't seem happy about it—almost like she hadn't expected it, really—but she told me about why you're here, and… about the Lost Princess."

"Is it Link?" Sheik asked with dread, feeling his blood run cold at the possibility.

"…Yeah." Saria admitted, her eyes going teary, "How'd you guess?"

Sheik scoffed bitterly, putting his face to his hands to groan. "The girl I was seeing… that was her. She pretended to be mute, but she wasn't good at it. And I… I saw the connection between Link and Lynda. The names are similar, they looked similar, they…" Sheik sighed mournfully, holding his head as a faint pain grew behind his temples. "It was too fishy to ignore. I kind of threw the fact in his face, and he ran."

Saria's heart began to bleed slowly as she thought of what Lynda would be going through now. And with the time of the month in store, there were bound to be things that Lynda wouldn't want to happen. "How bad is the Queen?" Saria asked, worry gnawing at her gut.

Sheik shrugged and said, "A couple of weeks and she's good as dead, I suppose."

Saria snarled. "Can't you be a little sympathetic? This is Lynda's _mother_ we're talking about here."

The Sheikah scoffed softly, sneering. "Oh, I liked her least in the Royal Family, I assure you. I don't think you'll be getting good notes about her from me, that's for sure." he shrugged.

"If they're so horrible, what do they want with her?" Saria demanded angrily, standing up and stomping her foot, "Why would they want her back now, when they had their chance to do that for the last ten years! And more!"

Sheik shrugged again. "That's what I wanted to know. Maybe the Queen was scared of the King, so couldn't request the search. Perhaps the King wanted to make up to the Queen by bringing back her daughter for being a bad husband before she died. Maybe Zelda asked too many questions about it, found out, and threatened to spill to the citizens. There're plenty of possibilities."

Saria looked confused and angry at the same time. "Spill to the citizens about _what_?"

Sheik smirked. "Did you know that Lynda was nearly taken to the Gerudo as a substitute to a Spiritual Stone?"

Saria's blood ran cold.

"The Queen didn't want that to happen so she rode a horse through a fight between the Gorons and Zoras—the Hylians were making the Spiritual Stones at that time—and came here so her little Princess could live on and come back to her. It'd be quite touching if she'd actually bothered to come back and find her, huh?"

Saria's scowl was deep and hateful. "If you're making fun of Lynda…"

"I'm not. It's the King, Queen, and Zelda I'm insulting. Never Lynda." Sheik said, sincere with his words.

Saria sat back down, swinging her legs and considering what was happening around her. "So, are you going to take her with you?"

"…I don't know. I really can't since I'm still stuck here, and she doesn't seem to want to go anywhere… I… I just don't know."

Sheik blinked and laughed a bit, falling back onto the grass to say, "I don't think I'll be sure of anything from now on too. I mean, come on. A Hero really a Heroine, the heroine really a Princess, the Princess in fact a Prince! Joy."

Saria bit her lip in great worry, now so uncertain on what to do that it was frightening. Was this what Lynda felt like when she was a woman? When she didn't know of what to do? Now Saria couldn't blame her for being so obstinate. But still, it was unhealthy to live off magic for the rest of your life. She was making a big mistake, she had to be. If only there was some way to prove it…

It clicked.

"Sheik. I want you to take her to the Castle."

The said Sheikah blinked and asked, "Are you sure, or are you not in your right mind?"

Saria scowled a bit before saying, "Lynda's unstable. Staying here to 'calm down' isn't helping. She needs help, Sheik. And she can get help only from outside. She needs people to tell her that she's better off as a girl, and not so as a boy! She needs to realise that the Hat's not good for her; at least not anymore. She has to learn to live without it, and have to learn to talk to people besides me. I think you're her stepping stone. Won't you help her for me?"

Sheik thought a moment, and said, "Sure. I'll do it. But I'm going to have to explain my whole plan before I do it, so… here goes."

* * *

She washed her tears away, hoping that her troubles would go away with them. She stepped out of the hot waterfall and grabbed her towel, wrapping it securely around her midsection for warmth's sake. The wind was cool against her bare skin, and the fact that her hair was plastered to her head, neck and back was not comforting either. The only comfort she found in the dark night was her fairy companion, buzzing around her head busily.

"You want anything down from the branches Lynda? How do you feel, Lynda? Oh Lynda what are you going to do? I can chase off Sheik if you like? You want to go to the Lake and see Ruto? Maybe we could…"

"Navi, please… just… be quiet." Lynda sighed, squatting down to the ground to pick up her clothes, which was a red skirt reserved just for this time, and a button shirt that did not accent her chest too much. "I don't know what to do. I don't know who I am; especially in this body. So could you… please stop calling me Lynda?"

There was a sad silence when Navi muttered, "That's who you are. Lynda."

"Is it really?" Lynda scoffed with disdain, pulling her shirt around her shoulders, "Does anyone really give a damn whether I'm Lynda or not? Does anyone give a…"

"_I care_!" Navi yelled furiously, glinting yellow, "_I_ give a damn if you're Lynda or not! I _know_ that you're supposed to be a girl! I…"

"I don't _want_ to be a girl!" Lynda yelled back, "I want to be _Link_! I want to be the Hero of Time, who knows no fear or shame, who wields the Master of all Blades and saved the country with ease and grace! A girl can't do that Navi!"

"Yes, a girl could bloody well do that!" She yelled back, a tinge of red now mixed into her menacing yellow, "_You_ did that! _You_! You may have done it all with the hat on, but it was you who did it! _A girl_!"

"I am _not_ a girl! I _refuse_ to be one after…"

The sound of beating wings brought them a welcome distraction from their fight. Mighty gusts of air were pushed away from graceful feathers, and wise, big brown eyes looked upon the two with severe interest, concern, but most of all, fondness that came with friendship. Lynda smiled and said, "Hi, Gabs."

The owl laughed and said, "Must you insist on calling me by that name?"

The Hylian tiredly shrugged before beginning to wring her hair. "Kaepora Gaebora _is_ rather a long and tedious name, you know. 'Gabs' is so much shorter."

The owl hooted in laughter, and ruffled his feathers in amusement. "Well, I'm glad you are rather well, despite that quarrel I seem to have caught you in."

Lynda did not blush. Something was niggling at the back of her head. "Gaebora, why are you here? Your visits are usually after I'm in this… this _state_. What's up with the early greeting? Has something happened in Hyrule?"

Gaebora shrugged his strong shoulders. "Nothing too new has happened in Hyrule, except something in Hyrule Castle Town. The King made a public announcement; something about a lost Princess."

Lynda blinked her eyes and said, "_What_?"

"The King has spoken of a lost daughter, sent to the east to protect her from the war that had been happening nearly eighteen years ago. The Queen of Hyrule is dieing, so as her wish upon the death-bed, she has chosen to see her daughter once more. Oh, and Zelda is on the verge of getting engaged."

"…Wow. This is just the job for the Hero of Time! This princess may actually be _nice_ or something! Oh, thank you so much for coming early just to tell us, Gabs! Isn't this great, Navi? We've got ourselves a harmless adventure!"

The fairy grumbled, "Yeah, sure, _fabulous._"

Gaebora cocked his head to the side in a ninety degree angle, looking confused. "Didn't you call me to come early?"

Lynda stopped her celebrating, now baffled herself. "No. I didn't call you. I don't even know how to do that."

The owl's brows lowered to make a feathery frown before saying, "I heard a call of my brethren. It was strange that it came from the forest, since we usually live near the cliffs, so I thought it was you. It could possibly a misled stray but…"

"That was me."

Lynda turned around and saw Sheik in the shadow of a willow tree, his eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Ah, a Sheikah. That explains it." Gaebora said, un-cocking his head, "And none other than the famous Savir! How are you doing this night?"

Lynda blinked. She had almost forgotten that Sheik was not his real name. He shrugged and smiled softly. "Mostly in shock, actually. Just found out who the Lost Princess is."

Lynda's jaw dropped in shock and indignation. "That was _my_ quest, you…"

"How can you go on a quest looking for yourself, _Lynda_?"

Lynda blinked.

"It's how I know your name." Sheik said, stepping out of the shadows, "I was sent here on several missions, given to me by different people. Find the Hero of Time, and convince him not to fight for the King, and Find the Lost Princess. The Princess you know of—Zelda—her name means 'Woman Warrior'. It was only fitting to name her younger twin 'Healer'. As in Lynda. As in _You_."

The girl blinked. Blinked again, and laughed. "Okay, now you're just plain crazy. Me? Royalty? That's stupid."

Sheik smiled slightly. "It seems that way, doesn't it. But have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You look like her. Zelda I mean. And you've got your mother in you too. The Queen. Only healthier."

And much more beautiful too…

Lynda gulped and shook her head, taking a shaky step back. "No… no that… that _can't_ be right! I… my parents are _dead_! Why would you know what my mother looked like? Why would you know? They're _dead_!"

Sheik sighed and said, "I think the Deku Tree wanted you to assume you didn't have parents to make you feel more like a Kokiri or something. Perhaps he intended to tell you, but didn't get the chance. I don't know the whole story, but that's how I see it. And the King and Queen are not dead. The Queen's very close, but nonetheless, they're alive."

Lynda took another step backwards, shaking her head to and fro. This could not be happening. She belonged to the Forest. She may have been Hylian, but she still belonged to the _Forest_! Why was everybody so determined to ruin her life? She took another step backward, and another and another, until Sheik said, "Please, don't run. I don't intend to hurt you, and didn't have that intention since I came here. I only want your help, and I want to offer you a deal."

He had to be joking. Making a deal with him had to be like making a deal with Ganondorf or something! But Lynda gulped before saying, "What kind of deal…?"

Sheik agitatedly passed his hand through his hair, looking towards the grass at his feet. "Am I right to assume that the hat changes your gender?"

Lynda hesitantly nodded.

"I want you to come to my tribe with me. They're going to be the first to attack the Hylians, and I don't want any of my friends to die. So we… devised a plan to take the Princess hostage, and trade her with Peace."

Rage was the first thing she felt. "So that's what I am to you? A trophy!?" Lynda hissed, hatred in her eyes, "If that's the case, I'm not interested. What do you think I am!?"

"Nothing," he calmly replied, "But if you're entertaining the thought that I like doing this job, drop it. As far as I can see you're just a girl. But, as far as appearences go, you're definitely royalty."

He took a shaky breath and looked at Lynda directly before, to her astonishment, he kneeled and bowed his head to her. "Princess Lynda. Please, come with me to my tribe and help me bring at least an amount of peace between my people and yours. I'll know everything you'd need to know for Castle life. I want you to live through it as Lynda, and if you don't like it, you can turn back to the Hero of Time. That's the deal." He lifted his head and said, "You will have my protection, my guidance, and my knowledge at your disposal for as long as you are Lynda Harkinian. I just want what's best for my friends. And… and you."

Lynda was hesitant when she said, "So… I can turn male permanently, if I wanted to?"

Sheik stood and nodded. "If there's a time limit in which you have to choose between the two genders, I'd prefer it if you permanently stayed a girl for that time being. Then after that, the choice is yours."

"But… the Forest… _Saria_…"

"She consulted me. She just found out about you being related to Zelda, so she asked me some questions. She seemed pretty mad about not knowing as well."

She glanced at Gaebora for assistance, and he shrugged. "You seemed rather bored of your lifestyle here; why not give yourself a change of pace? It could be interesting."

"But… but _this_ is my home! I… I don't want to leave!"

"Then don't." Sheik said, "Consider the stay in the Castle as… a change of pace, as Gaebora puts it. You don't have to claim the Castle as your new home. Just a temporary shelter, if you will. Look, I know this is a lot to ask, but … I need your help."

Lynda grumbled and shuffled her feet, giving Navi a disgruntled glance. The fairy didn't look upset or pleased, moreover neutral and giving her the space to make the choice. The girl looked at the Sheikah distrustfully. "No one would come to the forest once I leave?"

"Yes."

"I can choose if I want to be male or not?"

"Yes."

"Nobody's going to make me do what I don't want to do?"

Sheik licked his lips. "That's… hard. You'll have to do things as duty to your title, and depending on whether you like them… it's a yes and no."

There was a silence where Lynda thought it over sullenly, and Sheik waited, patient but getting more nervous by the second. The moonlight was casting luminous shadows onto her wet hair, her face was washed with the nightly glow, her skin sparkled from drops of water, and her presence itself was driving him insane. She was officially the Princess if she said she'd come! He had to get her out of his mind; _now_!

Lynda growled and said, "Fine. I'll go. But only to get you out of Saria's Temple."

Sheik bowed, willing his heart to turn cold, as he always did around nobles. She was noble now, and she was nothing more than a pawn for his peoples' peace.

His heart made one last desperate protest, screaming that this was not true, that Lynda was good, and she was not a _pawn_, before his mind completely sealed it off with a thick layer of bitter ice and hard metal. "As you wish, your majesty."

Lynda already felt uncomfortable with the title. "I hate you."

He only raised himself from his bow and 'hmph'ed.

* * *

Dacha felt sick as her hand held her daggers.

If Sheik didn't come back in another two days, they would have to fight. They would have to put a siege against the Castle, and sacrifice their lives. It wasn't that Dacha didn't want to fight or anything; she loved her people, her history, and her heritage. The Hylians were getting in the way of claiming it, and that was why their people fought.

It was just that she didn't want to _die_.

She didn't have the power Sheik possessed in his fighting, his magic, and his studies. He was a great asset in the war, and they needed him. If only he would come back, Princess or no, to fight with them. If only he would come and save them all…

"(Hey Dash. You miss me?)"

His magic would aid them greatly, and so would his prowess in the fighting arts…

"(Um… Dacha? Earth to Dacha? Hel_lo_?)"

"(What!?)" Dacha snapped, facing the intruder, daggers forgotten, "(I'm trying to _brood_ here, so leave me alone you pee-brained numbskull!)"

It was only then that she realised who she was talking to.

The man shrugged and turned, lifting the canvas to let himself out of the tent, "(Well okay then, only came to say I'm back, like you made me promise before I left, so, yeah, I'll go see the chief now.)"

"(_Wait_!)"

The man laughed as he got tackled by Dacha, laughing and squealing at his arrival. Once he was able to pry her off she hugged him, relishing in the moment of seeing a long missed friend. The man snickered as he pushed her away gently, flicking her forehead impishly. "(It's good to see you, Dacha.)"

The girl sulkily rubbed at her sore forehead. "(I was _about_ to say the same to you until you did that, Savir. And what the hell took you so long?)"

The Sheikah winked fondly before he let an apologetic gaze cross his eyes. "(Deepest apologies. Couldn't resist. And please call me Sheik around her, won't you?)"

Dacha raised an inquisitive eyebrow before looking around him, eyeing the stranger a couple of metres off with scrutiny. A woman? What was Savir doing with a woman? The suspicion rose until Dacha noticed the blonde locks of hair and the clear blue eyes that she saw in the infamous Princess Zelda.

"No…" she whispered, hardly believing her eyes. Yet here _she_ was, standing idly and uncomfortably in the midst of tents, fidgeting with her skirt. Dacha pushed Savir to the side and marched over to the Hylian, glaring at her. The stranger jerked to attention and looked to the sides uncomfortably as she came closer and closer, glaring daggers at the girl. Could it be…?

"Are you by chance…" Dacha began to ask, until Savir interrupted her.

"Dacha, meet Lynda. Lost Princess."

The blue-eyed girl blinked, looked down at the drying grass, and stepped one pace back.

Dacha blinked also, before turning to her friend. "(Wasn't she supposed to be unconscious when she got here?)" She asked in Sheikah.

Sheik shrugged. "(She came willingly. I explained my plan to her, said she was fine with it, and so, here we are. Aren't you happy?)"

"(Of course I'm happy! I'm thrilled! Wait till the Chief hears about this; he'll be absolutely _devastated_. You don't know how ready he was to kick Hylian ass. You couldn't have cut the deadline any closer, you know that?)"

Sheik frowned. "(Dacha, I've been away for only four days.)"

Dacha blinked. "(No, you've been away for four weeks. What's wrong, something hit you in the head or something?)"

He paused a second before frowning at nothing, a calculating look in his eye. He must have struck home by the look on his gaze, and he let out an involuntary shiver. He smiled tiredly and only said, "(Rotten luck.)"

Dacha was about to ask what he was talking about, but found herslef displeased to be interrupted by the Princess. She growled and spat, "_What_?"

The girl was hesitant, and she gave a quick gulp before saying, "Could you not talk in Sheikah? I… I don't understand."

Dacha scowled and said, "That was the _point,_ duh?"

To her surprise Lynda growled, her hold on her backpack tightening in what could've been rage or worry. "I didn't come here to be yelled at you got that pal? I'm very keen to leave, if you don't _mind_. I want to go back to the Forest!"

She blinked and looked back at Sheik, saying, "(Savir, you have brought in one weird specimen. You sure this is the right one?)"

Sheik scowled as Lynda looked at him desperately. "Be nice and speak in Hylian, Dacha. This is the Princess we're talking about."

The said girl scoffed and idly followed her friend to the fidgety Princess, who reluctantly but gratefully got into step with him. Dacha sighed softly and stepped next to the nervous girl, extending a hand. "Dacha Velox. Nice to meet you."

Lynda blushed and stepped away, her hands gripping tighter on the strings of her bag. Sheik stepped around and grabbed Dacha's arm firmly before she did anything rash. "(Look. The Princess is rather touchy when it comes to physical contact. She's dead scared of it. I tried to heal her after a fight with Stalfos and she freaked. So don't be bothered about it, you hear?)"

Dacha grumbled something incoherent before snatching her limb away, cursing. Sheik sighed and shook his head, bringing his attention back to Lynda. She stood rigid, her hands clasped tightly on each other, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry."

Sheik took a step closer to her as he shook his head again. "No need. I know it's hard to get used to all this, but I'm truly grateful for what you're doing. Look, we're going to the Chief's tent now. You want to come, or do you want to explore? You're choice."

Lynda looked around, seeing the tents, so colourful and beautiful, demanding her to explore. She saw the fires and the strange half-wild birds and animals, playing near the bright flames and the exotic smelling pots. She'd glimpsed into the armoury tent, and had seen the many strange knives and daggers, and wanted to see them all the more.

She looked around again and saw the many people that bustled about, mainly warriors. The gruff looking men with the occasional scars, the stern looking women that reminded her of Impa, the perky looking ones like Dacha, and the many young, athletics boys like Sheik.

"Can… Can I come? I… want to see the chief."

* * *

Lynda waited outside, scuffing the ground with her boot. She wasn't mad; why should she be? It was only right for her to wait outside while the Chief and Sheik discussed what she was going to do while Sheik went to the castle and acted out the whole scenario of being attacked and all that riff-raff. It was just the fact of being somewhere so _lacking_ of life a little frightening.

There was only grass around her. There were no trees to climb, no bushes to hide behind to watch a family of red fox chasing after a bird of prey. There were no Tailed fireflies that had often hung around the Lost Woods and the Kokiri forest, looking like fairies wearing long gowns of wet and beautiful cobwebs. She already missed the green light of the forest, the misty brilliance the sheet of green overhead had brought. She missed the solitude especially; reminded of how isolated the forest had been with the occasional glance given towards her, the murmurs that followed her sighting, and the snickers that travelled towards her.

"Hey."

Lynda gave a yelp and backed away, much to Sheik's disappointment.

"You're safe here you know."

Lynda looked uncertain, but gave a nod. Sheik sighed and said, "The Chief's ready to see you. You want to come?"

Lynda looked out at the sky—so blue and bare and blank—before nodding again and stepped inside, bag still clutched tightly in her arms.

The room was dimly lit with a yellow-brown glow, due to the shade of canvas and its intricate patterns. The dust flew and caught the glint of sunshine, reminding her pleasantly of the forest. The carpet she stood on was made of animal skin, soft and silver. There was a tray of food, and Lynda wondered whether it was for her, but decided not to touch it. The man in front of her looked as if he didn't really like her much.

The Chief was rather old and tanned, giving him an impression that he came from the desert. He wore to her interest a strange sort of clothing, a fold-over jerkin that went down to his knees, tied at the waist with string. He wore baggy leggings underneath with weird looking designs, and she found herself staring at them, following the dotted and twisting lines.

She was coughed out of her reverie.

She looked up at Sheik, who had been the one who had coughed, and he gestured towards the old man, and said, "Lynda, this is Ratheran Tzajem. Leader of the Tribe of Tears, and head of the attacking armies."

He then turned to the Chief and said, "Sthe allëz Lyndar, Ruyel Tórar."

The chief opened his mouth and a torrent of Sheikah left him for the air, husky and ruff but strangely kind.

His speech stopped; Sheik nodded and said, "Your support is appreciated. We will be happy to look after you until I come back with the castle guards, and he hopes that you will enjoy your stay here. You can also sit down."

Lynda blushed and nodded before sitting down, crossing her legs and hugging her belongings like a life-line. The chief frowned and said slowly, "Te wäj nú to panezér nÿthizèro sithìníz lik rügnar le shóri botü pan de Savir."

The severity of the Chief's tone made Lynda quiver. And the fact that Sheik looked rather grim was not helping either. "Sheik, um… what did he just say? Word for word?"

He hesitated before saying, "He said: You better not be planning something fishy like telling the castle about Savir's plan. Word for word."

Lynda shook her head severely, and said nothing. The Chief frowned ominously and extended a hand, palm up. On it were several scars. No, millions of scars. All small pin-pricks coiling in a spiral from the middle of his palm and curling out, like a galaxy of star-like scratches.

Sheik, noticing her confused look, began to explain, "They're Markings of Faith. When you swear to do something, or _not_ to do something, you make the contract permanent by marking your palm like that. With a knife, if I might add."

Lynda looked at the markings with undisguised interest. Damn, it must have hurt to have kept so many promises… "So, you want me to do that to myself, in case I break my promise and spill the beans to Zelda and stuff?"

Sheik shrugged and said, "Pretty much."

Lynda looked at Sheik, then at the Chief and took a long, slow breath. "Okey-dokes. I'll do it."

Obviously the two men were taken aback by such a blatant and nonchalant reply. "Um… Lynda. You do realise that once you've done what the Chief's done, the effects are permanent."

She did not listen to him.

"Lyn. You break the promise after you've sealed the contract, you _die_."

"Well, that's good to know." Lynda replied, her voice much more comfortable, "Not much point of making that sort of contract if it doesn't work, and not to mention I won't have to worry about it since I don't intend to tell anybody or anything… And since when are you calling me 'Lyn'?"

She was interrupted by the Chief's burst of husky laughter, making her jump. She glanced at Sheik, who groaned and dropped his head onto his hands.

"You're one feisty gall, aren't ye?"

Lynda's mouth dropped. "Um… uh… what the…?"

"It's what he does." Sheik groaned, sighing mournfully, "Whenever he has visitors, he pretends he can't understand. See how people act around them, you know? Oh don't look so surprised; you did that to me too, you know."

Lynda blushed and looked down.

"Eh, naw need ta worry, lass. I can see you're a sort that stays true. Good, good. You'll be happee to stay, won't ye?"

Lynda clutched at her bag for reassurance and said, "Yeah, that would be nice."

Sheik did not miss the soft quiver of her voice.

* * *

Dacha tapped her foot non-stop for two and a half seconds before demanding what the Princess was doing. Sheik stretched and said, "Sleeping."

The girl scoffed.

"Hey, be nice. She didn't get a wink of sleep last night saying goodbye to her friends, and before nightfall she happened to get a shock by finding out that she's royalty. Give her a break."

Dacha cocked an eyebrow this time. "Wasn't she supposed to know that she was royalty, since like, she was adopted in the east?"

Sheik shrugged. "'Supposed to' are the key words. You know where I could get a good fight? I need one for the whole 'sorry got the princess kidnapped by a load of Sheikah because they didn't know I was one of them and I was ambushed five to one' story. Where're Fedál? Or Ganesh, even. I've got _several_ bones to pick with them."

Sheik cracked his knuckles, much to Dacha's uneasiness. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. This only unnerved her further. He _never_ did that.

"Sheik, those two ganged up, and so did the rest of their friends. That makes it…"

"Seven to one. Better odds." He growled mercilessly, cracking the bones in his shoulder in anticipation. Pent up frustration from the past Castle events, the missions he had had to go through before, and the whole problem with trying to get the damn Princess out of his head boiled in his chest.

The two left the group of tents and entered the 'clearing', where the seven they had mentioned before were lounging about, flicking their daggers and knives about in anticipation of the war. When they turned, they were disappointed to see Sheik, since that meant that the war they had been waiting for was on at least a hold, if not a permanent cancel.

But no matter; they had _him _to pick on at least.

Dacha saw the building tension and grabbed at Sheik's arm, trying to pull him away. "Savir, they're not worth it! You could beat them any day please don't jump for it…!"

Sheik threw his arm away from her grip when the black haired, freckled, Ganesh called, "Hey! Castle whore! You gonna go after Dacha next?"

The frustration doubled with the remark, and Sheik's rational morals snapped under the pressure of rage. Purple fire erupted from Sheik's claws as he charged into the armed teenagers like a mad bull, his eyes red as fresh blood. Magic, metal and bare hands fought for dominance in the one to seven match of carnage, and all Dacha could do was watch.


	7. The Trouble with Princesses

**Hi. Now, before I start with the story telling, I'd like to say a few things. I have fourteen people who has this story on alert list. What I don't understand, is why only _half_ those people are reveiwing. **

**The question I'd like to ask you, is "_WHY_??".**

**_You know who you are; and so do I_. Please, review. I like comments, both good and bad, and I'd appreciate it greatly, if youd review. I mean, come on. If you'veg to enough spac on your hands to read this, please review.**

**Any way, that's about it for me. But seriously... please review?**

**If you do... um... I'll send you all a funny movie. It's seven seconds long, but it's funny. So, please? Thanks. **

_**

* * *

**__**The Trouble the Princesses.**_

Lynda woke up in the middle of the night, rubbing her eyes tiredly and wondering, why the hell was she under animal fur instead of flax weaved in with several different types of bird feathers?

Then she remembered the day before and groaned. She'd half hoped that the whole thing had been a dream, and that she was still in the temple, Sheik the only unwanted visitor, where she was able to kick his ass without anybody telling her to stop it except Saria and Navi.

Navi…

Lynda wiped at her eyes, hoping that the fairy had gone against what she'd said and come to her while she had been asleep, but there was no such chance. Dejectedly she tossed the bed spread away from herself, and stood, noting with a slight amount of relief that she hadn't been bleeding while she'd been asleep. She looked around and saw a pile of clothes were left there for her, and after struggling with a rather lengthy jerkin and a skin-tight pair of leggings, stepped into the night.

Lynda smiled. Solitude. And _owls_.

She laughed and sat down in the grass, grinning for the entire world to see, like a little boy.

* * *

"Hey!"

She jumped out of her skin and scared the birds away, much to her complete disappointment. But more to her shame, she was not alone anymore. The girl Sheik was friends with was coming from the tent next to the one she had been staying in, looking rather disgruntled and annoyed. "What're you doing with the birds? They're not tame, you know."

Lynda lifted a hand, which was specked with several peck-marks and blood. "I noticed."

"And you still go near them because…?"

Shrug. "I like birds. They don't talk, but they understand you."

A cocked eyebrow. "Even when they bight you to shreds."

A frown. "I think it rather natural to bite strangers. Especially when they look bigger and uglier and a lot meaner."

A scoff. "And that applies to birds, lizards, and dogs, or any matter of animal species?"

A curt nod. "Of course. It includes Hylians too; because that's what I nearly did with Sheik."

A snarl. "You did _what_?"

An evil snicker. "Oh don't worry. I just merely gave him a warning, several soap pellets, a defensive tidal wave, a bubble party and crazed Dekus. It would've been worse for him if I'd _bitten_ him. He could've ended up getting infected and got himself killed! Mwahaha."

A shake of the head. "You've lost your mind."

A scoff. "I have _not_. It's a fun memory to look up on; that's all."

A small sneer. "You mind explaining this memory?"

A hesitation. "You're a friend of Sh… I mean, Savir's right?"

A nod. "Yeah. Been that way for over ten years. Why?"

Pause. "Just don't want to be attacked through blind fury at what I did to him."

A suspicious frown. "Were these pranks? Harmless?"

Longer pause. "Pranks, yes. Harmless… semi."

Mischievous smirk. "Let's hear it then."

Lynda sighed with relief as the dark figure of Dacha sat down next to her, a smile playing on the Sheikah's lips. Her short-cropped black hair swayed in the night sky, her scarf loose around her neck. Her red eyes were like roses in softness and kindness, and the Princess couldn't help herself but grin. Dacha was taken aback by such a boyish gesture, but found it easy to hang along with. She grinned back, and Lynda was able to grasp enough courage to extend a hand, shaky and awkward and sweating.

"Um, Lynda. Lynda… Lynda… Ferns. Lynda Ferns; nice to meet you. It was Dacha, wasn't it?"

Dacha's grin widened as she kindly shook hands with the nervous Princess. "Just call me Dash,"

* * *

She spent a good week. Dacha was kind, and she showed Lynda around, understanding of her nervousness around people. Lynda was grateful for that, and so as means of gratitude, tried to make her life easy.

Lynda learned how to polish weapons. Learned the properties of Sheikah magic, which based mostly around the control of the soul. Lynda also learned to tolerate a skirt. For an amount of time, that is.

So it was a good week for her; and that was why it was such a disappointment to hear that she was to leave in another four days. "But I _like_ it here."

Dacha shrugged. "Sorry, but Savir's very… persistent. When he wants something done, he gets it _done_. No matter how injured he is."

Lynda had cocked an eyebrow as Dacha put down the Ear Dagger—named that way because the handle looked like a rounded ear—onto the table with the rest of the small weapons. "Injuries? What injuries? Did Sh… I mean Savir get hurt or something?"

Dacha shook her head, waving it off. "Just in a matter of speaking," she lied, not wanting to explain how her friend had earned himself several bloody cuts, a black eye, a limp, a broken rib, and burns from falling into a near-by camp fire. It had been a miracle in itself for him to have actually reached the castle. Talk about strong bones...

It was of no condolence that Sheik had won the brawl one to seven, and that nobody could doubt him for being ambushed.

And the fact that it was partially—if not mostly—the _princess's _fault for it was not helping. She was Dacha's friend; she should not be feeling this amount of rage and jealousy towards the girl, right? Just a noble, just a noble just a noble…

"Were you actually going to wear this in the war if it really happened?"

Dacha was shaken from her thoughts. "Uh… what…?"

"This." Lynda prompted, pointing towards the armour that hung on a wooden skeleton, "Because it would've been a waste. It's simply beautiful."

Lynda clasped her hands behind her back, and dreamily looked upon the armour, awestruck. It was a mixture of chain mail, plate armour and scale armour connected by buckles and belts, covered in a thin cloth to disguise the armour as if it were patterns on the cloth itself.

The legs and arms were wrapped in layer of chain mail with leather underneath, the dangling ends tucked firmly into ankle high shoes and secured with a belt. The torso was covered in reinforced scale armour, looking rather like a very hard shell of crocodile skin, only a dried kind of bloody red instead of green. On the shoulder, thighs, and lower half of the face was plate armour, except there were several layers of it to ensure flexibility. It reminded Lynda of a dragon's tail. And to top it all off, there was a scarf and hood.

It irked her a bit that most of the armour was skin tight, but hey; it still looked bloody cool.

But she frowned on one aspect of the near-perfect armour. "Why the heck does it have a _wig_?"

She pointed towards the hood, where indeed, long red tendrils of curly hair dangled around the manikin's face, not being able to contrast further with Dacha's short, black, straight hair.

The Sheikah shrugged. "It's a mean's of hiding our identity when we're caught. Like say, a Hylian reported to the king that a red-head killed the general and the red-head was brought over, but when the red head turns out to be a black head, things get a little confusing for them. We swap wigs every time we fight, making it all the more confusing. It either gives us time to rescue back anyone that got caught and got spared for the time because of the confusion, or we end up making the opponents kill the innocent soldier in blind fury. It's a risk, but… we all take it."

Lynda hmmed, and said, "Well, it's good to know most Hylians are wimps in this age. They wouldn't kill for no absolute reason… I hope."

Dacha shrugged. "The way you disguise your naivety with the words 'I hope' amuses me, Princess."

The blonde Hylian frowned. "Okay, now you're talking like Sheik. Please stop it. It creeps me to the bone."

Dacha laughed. "I know. It creeps me to the bone too. But hey. Let's not talk about that idiot and think of _other_ pranks to pull on the boys. We shouldn't dissapoint; you're leaving, so lets do something extra wicked."

Lynda snickered darkly as she tapped her fingertips together. "Yessss… now, what ssshall we dooo todaaay? … Hmm… mud cakes?"

Dacha smirked wildly. "Mud _stuffed_ _into_ cakes."

"_Clay_ stuffed into cakes."

"Clay stuffed into _batter_ of cakes."

"Sun baked and topped with beaten egg-whites disguised as cream."

"Mixed in with ants disguised as pomegranate seeds."

Lynda snickered again, punching a fist into her palm. "Let's start baking, like little giggly girls, shall we?"

Dacha cracked her knuckles menacingly. "We _shall_."

* * *

Zelda dropped her forehead onto her hand and sighed.

But she set her jaw firmly and sat up straight as the carriage stumbled to a halt, and the door was opened for her. She was the Princess of Hyrule. She was the Seventh Sage. She had sealed the Evil King away. She could handle meeting a long-lost sister. She could handle this.

Regally she stood in front of the disgruntled heap of tents, and the dirty looking warriors that surrounded it. She tried not to grimace at the smell of half-wild birds and the acrid stench of a fire left to burn itself out, and tried to concentrate on the blonde girl that nervously held onto her rucksack that hung loosely onto her back.

The first thing she noticed about the girl was the resemblance to herself in the physical form. Same hair, nearly same face—she was rounder and darker—and perhaps a little shorter. But other than that… she might as well be looking at a mirror.

Zelda a frowned a bit. There was something about that stance that was familiar… and she saw a great amount of power emitting from the girl… as if… like…

Zelda mentally shook it off and stepped towards her, the voice of the Herald rather distant to her accustomed ears. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Heir to the Mighty Throne, Seventh Sage, and Wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom."

Lynda winced at such a long title.

"Lynda Harkinian, Lost Princess of Hyrule, Sister to the Majesty, Princess Zelda."

Dacha stifled a laugh when she saw Lynda's back was stiff and straight as a board.

"Lynda," Zelda called, as kindly as she could, "We are here to escort you back to the castle; if you would please step forward?"

Lynda hesitated, and said, "When I go. You'll leave them alone, righ… I mean, yes?"

Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "You are asking because…?"

"They've been really good to me. They were really nice, really, and… I heard about the war and all, and I was hoping, that well… you wouldn't attack them or anything like that. Not that I suspected anything or anything… or… I'm sorry I'm really bad at talking in front of crowds."

Lynda's face was barely distinguishable from a tomato's.

So she was very glad to hear a familiar voice right then, despite it being in a foreign language. However when she saw the owner of the voice, she became worried. He was covered in bandages, head to foot, and his eyes glowed with menace and hatred. She looked back at the rest of the tribe to see that they weren't too happy in seeing him either. The static tension made the air smoulder; especially around the boy that had his arm in a sling. If it was an act, it was by damnation a good one; the relationship between the tribe and Sheik seemed an all down low; all the way down to the fiery depths of hell.

Zelda seemed almost pleased by it too. "As you have proposed, we shall put up a treaty for the time being. Give us the Princess, and we shall discuss this matter elsewhere."

The chief shook his head. "We won't be dealing nothin' anywhere but 'ere. You want the Princess, you going to give us our Tribal lands, Mourning grounds and Sacred markers back. They are _menêu_. Heritage."

Zelda frowned. "Lynda. What do you think of this? Do you wish to be treated as a trophy?"

All Sheikah that knew Lynda winced. But the Hylian looked around her and said, "If I go with you, I'm officially royalty?"

Zelda nodded proudly. "Treated like one, will look like one, and soon, feel like one."

Lynda took a step back. "Then it that case, could you please work something out? They were good to me. They really were. And if this is really going to be my country, I mean yours I mean... ugh, I su… I mean, I'm really bad at this…"

Zelda made an impatient huff.

"Look, please, if I'm going to be part of the top of the country… I want to be part of a country that gets along with people inside it. I don't like wars. And… I want to say more goodbyes. Do you think you could work something out here…?"

Sheik barked as he leaned against the carriage, half in the shadows. He muttered things in Sheikah that sounded rather unpleasant, the result of his mutterings was making the tension between him and his people greater than thought possible.

Lynda gulped. If this wasn't an act, she had either upset the Princess, or had made a really bad move that upset Sheik. She did not know which was worse. Lynda jerked in nervousness when something went _snap_.

It was Zelda's fan. "Alright then. We shall talk. Here and now, of your Lands. Agreed?"

All nodded grimly. Even Lynda, who had absolutely know idea on politics, obviously.

She was relieved, when she glanced towards Sheik again and saw that he was sharing a very fleeting wink with someone in the ranks of Sheikah.

* * *

"What did they do to your hands?" Zelda demanded, looking upon the bandages that wrapped both her sister's palms.

Lynda hid them under her legs and said, "It was the birds. I tried to be friends with them."

Zelda scoffed. "The owls? Such childish behaviour will not be permitted in the castle, my sister. You will need serious educating, with the way you are going."

Lynda bit her lip and looked down, a slither of anger crossing her chest. She did not come to be berated. She did not come to be re-educated. She did not come to be called _childish_. What was stopping her from smashing the door of the carriage open and escaping huh!?

"Forgive me I… I am lost." Lynda uncertainly looked up when Zelda began to speak again, this time only kinder and softer in tone. "I never knew I had a sister. Never knew that there was someone out there that was family. I don't know how to act; forgive me if I seem harsh to you."

Lynda smiled shakily and said, "It's alright. I understand. I wouldn't know how to act around you either, if I didn't know you well."

Zelda's eyebrow's lowered in confusion, but she smiled again and extended a hand. "I'm sure we'll enjoy your presence in the castle… I'm sorry what was your name again?"

"Lynda. Lynda Ferns."

"Lynda Harkinian, from now on."

"Oh. Right."

They shook hands, and Zelda felt a bolt of energy go up her arm, shocking her mind to a second of blankness, her body for a split second tensing with the sudden surge of power. The familiarity of the divine power shook her, and as soon as she possibly could Zelda retracted her hand away from the handshake without making it look rushed.

Lynda obliviously looked out the window, hoping to see more trees than the field actually bore.

Zelda sent a message to a magician in the castle with the help of her Triforce, and for the rest of the trip watched her sister carefully, her hand warily placing itself near the dagger that was hidden in the folds of her dress.

* * *

"Wow…"

The white walls that glistened in the morning sun were amazing. The proud stones of the castle shone with valour, old and historical yet strong as if finished through construction only yesterday. The fountains that flanked the castle itself were bubbling with fresh water and Lynda was delighted to see fish in them. The grass was lush, and flowers bloomed in the far corners. She would love spending time in this garden. Would simply _adore_ it.

"Detain her."

A storm of soldiers rushed her from nowhere, grabbing at her arms and securing her to the spot. Pain pushed its way through their fingers and into her limbs, fear coiled through her body and trapped her from within; Lynda screamed and struggled, the haunting memories taunting her mind. She frantically looked around and saw the soldiers that had been friendly to her only a few minutes ago was growling curses as they tried to keep her still, making sure she did not escape with a ring of spears pointing her way.

Lynda shouted even more as she was forced to her knees. "Zelda! Zelda, help me! Get them off me! No! No stop it let _go_! Zelda!"

"Do stop your shouting…"

Lynda looked up, alarmed to find that it was not Zelda that had responded, but a man wearing a blue robe with a gaudy silver chain draped over his shoulders, his brown brows connected to make a disgusted frown. "Under the order of the Princess Zelda, you are under arrest for Sorcery, impersonation of the real Lost Princess and suspected Treason and Murder. Take her!"

The soldiers shuffled in unison, around the castle and towards a dank looking shack. Lynda's feet dug into the ground, disbelief at what she was hearing making her stiff as wood. "What… Zelda! _Zelda_! Why!? I haven't done anything wrong! Get off me! _Where are you taking me_!?"

Lynda's struggles became frantic. She struggled and lurched, but the hands on her arms were too strong. She was all too aware of how hard they gripped her. All too aware of the restriction those clutching metal claws of the soldiers brought in their wake. They demanded that she stay silent. Demanded that she did as she was told. A shiver of fear ran down her spine.

The magician sniffed and grunted, "To the dungeons. You will be questioned there, and await your sentence. You won't be needing you luggage there, I assure you."

More hands grabbed at the sack on her back, and this time, Lynda gave a new meaning to the word _screamed_.

"_NO_!! Stop it! No _don't_. Leave that alone; _leave that alone_!" she wordlessly gave a scream of pure rage and fear as she felt and heard her belongings—her _hat_—leave her in series of horrendous rips, into the hands of a triumphant sentry.

"Take her away."

Lynda felt herself freeze at Zelda's tone. It was so cold…

The cold was replaced with red hot rage. "_Zelda_! Zelda _why_!? I haven't done anything wrong! Much less _murder_! Let me go! Let me go!"

Zelda looked pretty pissed off also when she broke through the circle. The two girls glared at each other, and the guards for a split second marvelled at the resemblance between the two. "You dare defy such a crime as the murder of our saviour!?"

"What the bloody hell are you…!"

"Quiet! I will question you as soon as I let my father know that I have arrived. We shall see how the Sheikah manage against the full force of the Hylian army after this."

Zelda's strong words sent Lynda under a sea of panic. "Leave them alone! They were good to me; they would be good to _you_ if you treated them fairly! Get off me! Stop it! No! Leave them alone!"

Lynda screamed louder as she was taken further and further away from her freedom. By the time they threw her into a cell, her throat was raw, and she was shivering. She had nothing. She didn't have her hat. She didn't have the Master Sword, her fairy, her friends, her freedom, her courage, her magic, _nothing_.

The princess bit her bottom lip and trembled in the cage, lying on the floor like a tense foetus as she kept her eyes closed and prayed for a miracle while the other Princess strode into the castle, intending to seal away Lynda's fait like she had done with the King of Evil.

* * *

"Oh no you don't…"

Zelda gasped as her hand was snatched away from its graceful position in which it had been placed in her other hand, and was pulled away roughly by an angry Sheikah. Zelda was forced to run in the opposite direction to which she had been heading; back to the gate and the dungeon that held Lynda.

"Let go of me!" Zelda demanded as she was dragged along, "Unhand me or your rank in this Castle will be stripped from you!"

"On the contrary, I believe you'll be promoting me by the end of this, Princess. You'll be so glad I fixed your mistake for you that you'll be begging me to keep my mouth shut."

Zelda snarled. "One more word of insolence from you Sheik and I will…"

"As the representative of Impa, I believe I have the right to be doing this. And 'this', if you haven't noticed, is saving your prissy ass."

The Seventh Sage flushed red at the insult. "Unhand me this instant or… Guards! Guards! Take this man to the dungeons!"

The sentries standing by looked blankly ahead of themselves as Zelda and Sheik zoomed past. The Sheikah laughed darkly as Zelda was forced onwards, calling desperately towards the guards. "That won't work. Everything I touch, a.k.a. _you_ and I are invisible, silenced, and stuck together like hardened rosin until I say the word. Your personal library has helped me greatly, Princess."

Zelda's snarl deepened as they sped around the front doors and turned a corner into the gardens. "My father won't be pleased to hear that my arrival was delayed simply because of the whim of a Sheikah."

Sheik laughed as he stopped in front of the shack, letting her hand go for the first time so they materialised in front of a guard—in his eyes—from nowhere. Sheik promptly knocked him out.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Sheik grinned menacingly towards her, "I've told the King that you've gone to get Lynda ready for his presence. Make up, dresses, stuff like that. I hope you're happy. Now. Let's set our Princess free, shall we?"

Zelda began to charge the Power from the Triforce of Wisdom. "You dare set a murderer free!?"

"Murder of whom, Princess." Sheik said, intending to raise a shield in case she was stupid enough to really blast him away. Zelda finally saw through her anger and realised that she could easily blow away half the castle grounds with the power she was generating. She took a quick breath and sighed, straightening her dress, irritated.

"I will show you what I mean, then. Trying to reason with you would be like trying to reason with a toad."

She slammed the door open and marched inside, and Sheik quickly followed. He listened for anything that would cause him more problems, like more guards or perhaps stray Keese. The dungeon was not well kept, and that was why he did not want Lynda to stay there any longer. She shouldn't be going through that kind of stress. Gods, he hoped she wasn't having a mental breakdown.

Dirty water dripped down on his forehead as he went deeper into the dark cells. He nearly slipped on the murky steps. The stench was horrible. He was not glad when he reached the main floor.

"What is this that you want to show me, Zelda." Sheik hissed, leaning against the wall, steadying himself with a hand, "I don't enjoy this exertion at all, and you're wasting my time. _Our_ time. Don't you think the Queen would want to see her second daughter?"

"She _isn't_ my sister Sheik! Look at her!" she pointed towards a figure that lay shaking on the dirty floor, murmuring something under her breath. "She cowers over the fait that awaits her. Why should she be afraid when she believes she is innocent?"

"Because you handled her brutally. She hates physical contact." Sheik hissed, running for the bars to her cage, "Lynda. _Lyn_. It's me; Sheik. You're going to be okay, alright? I'm getting you out."

"…Sheik?" her voice was shaky; if it was the worst of the worst, she was already going through her mental breakdown. Sheik hoped that wasn't the case. "… Zelda's there, isn't she."

"Yeah. She is."

"What does she want?"

"The truth." Zelda declared, holding the bag she had taken from her sister, "Where did you get these?"

Lynda shakily lifted herself up and turned to face them, and she took several shaky breaths, repeating to herself, she was in a cage that they couldn't get into. She was in a cage they couldn't get into. They couldn't get in. They couldn't get in.

She was Link; just without the hat. As long as nobody touched her, she was okay.

"I got them in my adventures. They belong to me."

Zelda faltered but carried on. That tone was not familiar. It was _not_ familiar. "Liar. They belong to a Wielder of a Triforce. The Hero of Time. Explain to me _why _you have his Triforce piece, and when did you kill him?"

Sheik grumbled against the bars, hate in his eyes. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. She _is_ the Hero of Time. _And_ your sister."

"Liars!" she yelled, "This witch killed him and took his Triforce piece! You were going to take mine next, weren't you? And then you were going for Ganondorf. You were going to take over Hyrule with the whole Triforce in your hands! _Admit it_!"

Sheik couldn't help but scoff. "We're talking about the _Hero of time_ here. You think a random person could beat him?"

"You did." Lynda muttered softly, drawing her knees against her chest.

"You were reckless. Zelda, l_ook_ at her. Can't you see Link in her? She holds the Triforce piece because she _is_ Link. And the similarity between the names! Give her the hat in the bag. That'll show you. If not that, Lynda, sing all the songs you learnt as the Hero of Time. If that isn't proof enough, let her touch the Master Sword. The sword rejects her, she dies. Sword accepts her, Triforce glows. Simple, non-breakable magical physics. Now quickly. We haven't got all day."

Zelda faltered only for a second. The way the girl in the cell sat at Sheik's encouraging words, how she seemed to remember every detail of something far away in the distant past… Zelda did not like it. But there was nothing to lose. Link was a man; a hero. _Her_ hero. There was nothing that could change that, could there?

"Sing me the Shadow's Requiem."

Lynda did so easily; she had liked that one best, for its haunting melody. Zelda demanded one after the other, and soon she was out of songs, and out of excuses. She could not be wrong. How could she? She had the Triforce of Wisdom; she was the epitome of Knowledge. How could she be wrong?

And yet, here she was passing the Hat to Sheik, who passed it onto the girl, who put it on.

Zelda stumbled back in shock to see the blue eyes that she had loved so much looking at her. "No…"

"The Hero of Time being a royal." Sheik laughed as Link curled his fingers into fists and uncurled them, examining the rest of his muscle-bound body, "And a woman. I'd like to see the faces of Historians when they find out about this."

Link collapsed in the cell, breathing harshly with uncontained laughter. "You don't know how friggin' safe I feel in his body!"

"Don't get used to it." Sheik grunted, standing up to unlock the cell door, "We want a Princess; not a Prince. Maybe we can have that later, but not now. Queen would freak."

There was a silence where Link hesitated, and footsteps that were hurriedly leaving echoed into the darkness could be heard clearly. "… Zelda loved 'Link'. Didn't she."

Sheik opened the door and it gave a grating protest as it swung wide open. "I guess you could make that assumption, but it could be that it was because she made a mistake."

Link shook his head, sighing mournfully. "That's why I shouldn't stop wearing this hat. It screws people's lives up!"

"Especially yours." Sheik commented, extending a hand. "Perhaps you should throw it away? Become permanently female?"

Link growled. "No. As soon as the time limit's done, I'm staying as Hero of Time. I also don't enjoy your _comments_, thank you."

"Touchy too. Is it another side affect to that hat of yours?"

The Hero of Time swiped a hand from where he sat. Sheik easily avoided it, albeit shakily. Link cocked an eyebrow. "You okay?"

He closed his red eyes and seemed to concentrate on standing before nodding his head. "Just tired. Now get up and take the hat off; the maids are ready to dress you up for the meeting with the King." He rolled his eyes and added, "Yeah, yeah, you can keep the hat with you. Just don't wear it."

Link let his defensive hands leave his head.

"Now come on; let's get going."

Link grudgingly grasped Sheik's hand and pulled himself up, asking, "What about the guards? Wouldn't it be a while till they asked about Zelda's … um… slip?"

Sheik smirked. "All taken care of. Erased memories are synch for Sheikah. And keep calling me Sheik. They don't know my real name here."

Link couldn't help the exasperated grin. "Aye-aye, captain."

"And in Din's name please take that hat off!"

He looked at his hands, his arms, his legs, and gulping down the reluctance of the deed, pulled his hat of his head. Sheik gave a relieved sigh. "Now I don't have to break my neck looking up at you. You know how annoying that is?"

Lynda gave a disgruntled grunt.

* * *

"(Hey Savir. What's up with the call? Anything important happen?)" were the first words that leapt out of Dacha's mouth as soon as she had come through the window, until she saw the look on Sheik's face.

The smile was replaced with a worried line. "Savir. You don't look really good."

He nodded grimly, flicking his fringe aside from his left eye in a contemplative manner. "(I distinctively remember you calling me handsome, once.)"

Dacha frowned. "(Not funny. Now tell me why I'm here; I know it's important.)"

"(Ah. Right to the point. I've got two things to say for today. The first about Lynda, obviously. Secondly, about me.)"

Dacha's brows lowered in more worry. "(You never talk about yourself. No more jokes; what have you done with the real Savir?)"

Sheik's chuckles were dry and tired. "(The difference this time, you see, is that I'm over my head on this. But enough of that.)"

Sheik pulled away from his dark corner and sat in a chair, gesturing for Dacha to do so as well. She shook her head but sat on the windowsill instead, and Sheik began to talk. "(The meeting with the King went well. Lynda acted like a cucco surrounded by a herd of Wolfos, but she did okay. She's in her room right now, probably asleep. There were a few problems from Zelda, but those are handled; nothing to worry about. She's to meet the Queen tomorrow; have a nice chat, mostly. The coronation for the right to royalty is in four days. The Parade through market town will commence the same day, and the peace talks with the Sheikah will be a week after that. Then… that's it for me so far.)"

Dacha cocked an indignant eyebrow. "(You didn't get promoted?)"

Sheik examined his fingernails, polished them on his shirt and smirked. "(Who said I didn't?)"

Her face brightened up like the moon unveiled by clouds. "(How high did you go!?)"

Sheik shrugged. "(Royal Advisor.)"

Dacha squealed eccentrically.

"(_But_… oh don't look so disappointed you know there's always a 'but'… I have to look after Lynda till they're _sure_ I'm worthy. Now enough of that. I called you to discuss something; I want you to think on my theory, and tell me what you think.)" He walked over to the cabinet, his legs a little shaky, but still determined. He raised his arm over the hard, polished wooden corner of the furniture. "(Observe.)"

He brought it down full force, and there was a horrible _crack_.

"(_Savir_!)" Dacha rushed forward and grasped the bleeding arm, expecting white bone poking out of skin. She was astonished to find that this was not the case. Under her touch she felt rather than saw that his bone was perfectly fine; no snaps, no fractures, nothing. Even the blood-flow was lacking, as if his arm was struggling to produce the red liquid.

"(Grab a bunch of my hair, won't you?)" he added, tilting his head down.

Dacha cautiously grabbed a fistful. Sheik ordered her to pull. She did so.

Most of it came out without any struggle.

Dacha stumbled back and squealed in fright, shaking the strands of blonde out of her grip. Sheik laughed humourlessly, and ruffled his hair again, and a couple of strands flew out. "(See what I mean by 'over my head'?)"

Dacha took several steadying breaths before asking, "(What the hell's…?)"

Sheik sat himself down again before saying, "(I believe, it's a Stalfos' curse. If I were in the forest right now, I may live but end up a walking, mindless, killing-everything-in-sight skeleton. However, since I'm outside, I think I'm dieing. Oh Dash, don't look so horrified. I've got a week _at_ _least_ you know. Unless you think it's worse than that…)"

He fell asleep, and Dacha for a second thought he wouldn't wake up.

* * *

**Please keep in the comments from above in mind, and review. Thankyou!**


	8. Sicknesses

**To all you faithful reviewers! I'm very, very, very sorry that I didn't update for a very, very, very long time. I was banned from the computer and I had exams! I'm sorry okay!? You don't know how it killed me not being able to write... TT**

**So, as a tribute to you all, I decided to put your review replies here.**

**_HeroofTimes _: Yeah, I guess he could get the deku tree to stop the curse, but I don't think my Sheik is the type of person who asks for help. Too stuck up and independant, you know? And here's the chapter you've been waiting for!**

**_Secret13_ : Thank you for your praise; your wish has been granted.**

**_Coriyana _: Thanks for the praise! I hope you like this chapter and leave a review.**

**_Wesley_ : It was; now it isn't. YAY!!**

**_Wufie-the-back-side-slayer_ : Oh thank god, I was worried about me killing off Lynda's whole, holder of the Triforce thing, but... so glad. Thank you for reviewing, now! And don't worry, Savir does not die. Yay!**

**_simbiot2.0_ : Ehehe... I do read yaoi, but I don't write it. So... sorry if it's a disapointment. Aheheh (sweating)**

**_Louiii_ : Nothing too unfixable, don't worry. Thankyou for the praise, and so so sorry for such a long wait till this update!**

**_A person that likes to kick butt _: Thankyou. I like putting in culture to these people, it just makes it seem more real, you know? **

**_TwilightComet_ : Of course I won't make you wait five weeks! I made you wait LONGER! Waah! TT I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to I swear! (SOB)**

**_Devilish child aka Raven_ : Thankyou for reading through this whole story! Wow you definitely have patience... and I think brutality make stories interesting. (smirk)**

**_TheWatcherandReader_ : 'Fait' isn't a spelling mistake, but you're right, it's the wrong word. ... What _is_ 'fait' anyway?**

**_Baronfly _: Yeah, the mud cakes are for later. Pompous dukes won't know what hit their stomachs... (evil laugh)**

**_Link-the-Hylian_ : Thank you for your praise, and the understanding you show on the reviews thing. Sigh... anyway, I've fianly updated. I do hope you enjoy...**

**_xbluxmoonx _: Thankyou so much for your praise, it's good to know that people enjoy my chapters! I hope you like this chapter too, please tell me if there's anything wrong with it!**

**_SailorElfGirl_ : Maybe you're right on the too big a change on personality thing. It's just that I made Lynda go through something very bad a couple of years before this story, and I'm hoping to bring it out later, so... yeah. Maybe you're right. I'll try to make it better in the next chapter. Thanks for the comment!**

**_Blazestarre _: Yeah, I meant 'fate' sorry. I made Zelda that way because she was panicking, you knwo? She loved Link and Lynda had the Triforce and she thought Link was killed... I thought that might make people a little uglier, so I gave it a try. Thanks for pointing out the typo.**

**_Ami Metallium _: You don't know just by how much that emans to me, what you siad (teary eyed with happiness)**

**_I am the Bane of My Sword :_ That's good right?**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Sicknesses**_

Sheik sighed as he leaned against the wall, tapping his heel idly onto the floor. Dizziness was coming over him, and the concentration on the tapping of his feet seemed to be the only thing that was keeping him awake. There was a tightness to his bones that he didn't really want to dwell on, and the fact that his skin seemed to be flaking away was not helping him at the very least. The bandages _were_ keeping him together, but just barely. He refrained from shaking his head in despair, in case more hair malted away from his head.

Gods, if Dacha didn't come up with a remedy in the camp sooner before that later, he was screwed. Absolutely, totally, _screwed_.

Well, at least he had several weeks…

The door finally opened, much to his relief. Lynda looked shaken as she came out.

Sheik felt mild concern, wondering what brought on the sudden change in mood. Sure she'd just talked to her mother for the first time in her life, but wouldn't there be some joy in that? Unless they'd discussed the _whys_ of Lynda's whisking to the Forests had sprung up… yes, that was a sticky subject.

Sheik idly sniffed the air, tasting lemon. He wasn't at all surprised that the perfume the maids had forced onto the Princess was still lasting; it was _made_ to last, and perfumes were expensive for a reason. Sheik congratulated himself again for the reaction he'd given her that morning.

He'd been waiting outside her room, leaning on one side of the door, while a Hylian guard stood rigidly at the other. He'd been an old man, if Sheik recollected correctly. It wasn't because the guard hated him for being Sheikah that he didn't know anything about guard, it was just… his _uselessness,_ Sheik decided. Nothing worth hiding, nothing worth exploiting. Nothing worth knowing; not even his name.

It was when the tension between them was about to spit sparks that Lynda had stumbled out in a yellow and faint green tea-gown, looking absolutely humiliated and embarrassed, except she looked more like a Princess than Sheik could've ever imagined. Waking somewhere unfamiliar and being touched by the maids (they couldn't help it; she needed dressing and accessorising) left her pale and shaken, stumbling in shoes that were too tight for her comfort.

Sheik had watched her nearly fall, her hair glittering with silver and gold daisies, saved by the old guard. Watched her pull back with fright, her attire beautifully modest with its flowing sleeves and laces, putting on an uneasy smile, probably being haunted by the memory of being dragged to the dungeons, helpless. The beauty he had been impressed at in the forest was amplified tenfold with the get-up.

He had felt nothing for her.

"Princess," he said, returning to the present, head lowered in a curt bow as she turned to him with a frightened squeak, "Mistress Impa would like to inquire if you wish to have breakfast in your room?"

She was faintly confused. "Why?"

Sheik fought the smile that tried to curl his lip. "You missed it, I believe."

"Oh."

She remembered now; she'd been too queasy to eat anything. "No… no, I'm fine thank you. I… I just wanna throw up. And maybe hit something."

Sheik wondered whether the throwing up bit was a confession to fear or just a mild complaint. Coupled with the hitting comment it _could_ be the latter… but now that he looked closer… that shaking… was it, _rage_?

Hmm… this may cause complications.

* * *

She wanted to murder somebody.

Lynda hadn't really thought about meeting the Queen, her mother. She'd never imagined what she'd look like. So it hadn't been much of a disappointment nor shock when she had seen how much of a wreck she had been. Hair unwashed for months, skin unattended to, only barely alive. Everything about her seemed snuffed out, even her eyes, which had been a dark blue so unlike Zelda, but nearly identical to herself.

What she _had_ expected though, was some kindness. Understanding. Some _bond_, a connection that would show her that indeed, the dying woman was her mother, and standing there, was her daughter.

But there was nothing. _Nothing_.

They were nothing alike. They liked parties, but the Queen liked the quiet type, while Lynda enjoyed the wild ones the Gorons or the Gerudo might throw. Reading? Her yes, Lynda no. All manner of exercise? Her no, Lynda yes. Going outside? No and yes. Jewellery? Yes and no.

What were they, polar opposites!?

And the nerve she had…! The disrespect she had shown to the Kokiri! The Queen had given her second daughter away to the Kokiri, promised to return in two, three years… four years tops… but had never come back. But the Kokiri had still treated her as an equal. By that sense they had given her privileges like having a fairy to herself, which was unheard of in the Hylian world. They had loved her like a family of distant cousins.

But _then_ the Queen goes on about how she shouldn't have been treated like an equal!? That she should've been pampered and spoiled like a fallen fruit!? She even went to saying that she _regretted_ putting her 'beloved daughter' to 'those savages of the forests'. How dare she!? Lynda owed her life to them; that meant the Queen owed them too!

She'd nearly been a property of Ganondorf. Of _Ganondorf_. She still remembered his laugh, still remembered that grin, the power that had raked through her muscles and jarred her bones, the Triforce of courage the only thing to have protected her from complete obliteration.

She would not have been treated the way the Kokiri had done with her. Maybe she would have been fine if Nabooru had taken care of her, but would Ganondorf allowed that to happen? It could've been anybody, most of them ready to follow their King. And not to mention, the Twin Rova! They'd done brainwashing—and goddesses knew what other kinds of magical experiments—with their second in command! They would not have hesitated with a Hylian princess. Never, ever, ever.

But that was only if she really _were_ her daughter.

"You've got the wrong girl. I'm not your Princess."

Sheik cocked an eyebrow behind the bandages and scarf. "And you think that because…?"

Lynda looked up at him furiously, as if disgusted that he was even questioning her. "She and I are nothing alike. Just because I look like her doesn't mean that I'm her daughter. I _can't _be her daughter! Do you know what she said about the Kokiri!?"

Sheik thought it over. Probably called them a bunch of Forest nut-cases, he thought. But he opted for, "Enlighten me." instead.

"She called them _savages_! Freaks! She said she regretted putting me with the 'tree vermin'! If she cared so much, why not just pretend that I was… I don't know… a friend's niece or something!? She owed them for taking m—for taking the _real_ Princess to _their_ forest and putting her in _their_ care! The nerve of her! I won't have a mother like that. I _won't_!"

The smile that twisted his face had no inkling of humour in it. "A child can't choose its parent, Princess. No matter how much one despises the other."

"Well thank Furore I don't need to." She growled stubbornly, clawing at the bodice of her dress, "Because I'm not her daughter. I can't be. I'm a boy; the Hero of Time. And _heroes_ don't get themselves tied up in corsets and _lace_."

Sheik spun on her and stopped her in her tracks. He would not have this. He'd had to suffer for the last nine years, and _she _was his ticket to freedom. She needed to be Princess; or else there was hell to pay.

He calmed down a bit before asking, "Were there any other girls that seemed odd in Kokiri standards?"

She frowned and pouted at the same time, avoiding his gaze. "What do you mean."

"A girl that didn't have a fairy like you, perhaps? Or a girl that seemed out of tune to the Forest? Maybe one that got kicked out because she got a head taller than any body else?"

An angry red spread across her face like wildfire. She said nothing.

"Lynda," he prompted, gentler this time due to the headache that came with strong emotion, "there's nobody else that fits the description perfectly. And it makes sense, don't you see? The Royal Family's been gifted with powerful magic; you've inherited that."

She gritted her teeth. "Have not."

The headache was rapidly turning into a migraine. Sheik saw black blotches fly across his sight. "Lynda, you healed me…"

"That was a fluke!" she threw at him furiously, hating to admit it, "It was a frickin' fluke! I can barely perform Din's Fire without the crystal! You call that 'powerful magic'!?"

The Sheikah's face contorted aggressively. "If it weren't for your stupid-"

The hallway teetered. His knees buckled. Sheik grabbed the wall and hissed as every bone in his body throbbed with every heartbeat, drumming discomfort into his veins.

Shit.

Lynda quickly forgot the argument and tried to help him from his half-crouch, only to be shrugged away. "What's happened? You okay?"

Sheik chuckled ominously, feeling his sanity slipping away. His hair had dulled in colour, and was weak against his face. He could almost feel his skin peeling off to reveal dry blood and brittle flesh. Oh, he'd seen it, and didn't intend to for a while. He'd had to change all his bandages for new clean ones before meeting Lynda for fear of infection. Seeing his dieing flesh was an experience he didn't want to repeat.

And the fact that he could not see really clearly was not helping either. The shaking in his legs were gone, but they felt weak as jelly. Coupled with the dizziness and the lack of good eyesight, surely this was not a good sign.

He gave a grin anyway and stood straighter. If the authorities in the castle found out that he was weak in any sort of way, who knew what they would do?

"I'm fine. Perhaps a little tired, but… I'm okay. Really." He insisted, as Lynda determinedly stood and glared.

She sniffed at the air suspiciously, and she said, "You smell like a Poe. Only it's faint, so you can't notice. Are you _sure_, you're okay?"

He nodded, still leaning against the wall. "Perfectly."

She crossed her arms and said, "Prove it. Stop leaning against the wall, stick out your tongue, and flap your arms like a cucco."

Sheik groaned, knocking his head to the wall. "You do realise that that is one of the most degrading things you could ever suggest?"

Lynda rolled her eyes. "Just get off the wall at least. You may have caught Forest Sense."

Sheik cocked his head to the side, mildly interested under the dull headache the real problem was causing. "What's Forest Sense?"

"It's a phase or disease where you get the sense of becoming one with the forest and end up a spirit by shucking your skin. If you're young enough you become a forest child like Skulkid, but as you're not… things can become a little… pale, you could say. Now come on; off the wall."

Sheik almost felt fear; he didn't want to look weak in front of her. The one that saved Hyrule with her sword, the one that faced against all odds and defeated Ganondorf. The one that he found unrealistically attractive…

He mentally berated himself before attempting to push off the wall. He did _not_ find the Princess attractive, not anymore. In the forest he might have, but he did _not_ find her presence almost intoxicating. He was _not_ literally _sliding_ to the ground, with a high fever and his flesh practically drying and hardening to bone. He was not sprawled on the floor like some discarded puppet, helpless, useless, _weak_.

Oh, who was he kidding, he thought miserably as Lynda screamed and called for help, he was in deep trouble, both physically and mentally, and he had absolutely no way so far in fixing himself.

Dacha better come soon, was last of Sheik's thoughts before he blacked out.

* * *

The girl cursed as she ran through the Market place, fearing her cloak would leave her any second. Damn it, why did the magic she had to borrow always be 'temporary'!? Temporary underwater breather, temporary heat guard pendant, and now, temporary invisibility cloak! Why couldn't she get something more _permanent,_ huh!?

Because it'd cost too much; a bitter voice in her head said.

Dacha shook it off and carried on towards the castle, determined to get there before the magic wore off. She had what was needed to save Sheik from that curse. Oh if only he hadn't been the one to go seek the Princess, if only he hadn't been the one to save her from that bloody Stalfos!

It was the Princess's fault that he was in this mess!

Grinding down the anger that boiled in her chest, Dacha sped through the garden and jumped through Sheik's window, hoping that he would be there. She was disappointed to find that he was indeed, not there, but also horror struck at what they had done with his room.

It was totally trashed.

The drawers had been smashed, and his clothes were scattered everywhere, most of them shredded to mere rags. The ones that had pockets especially; the rest was strewn across the floor, having left there trampled and ruined. His desk was upturned and smashed, the papers that were in it ripped and lay in soggy heaps of ink. The bed was ripped and the mattress lay precariously on the bed stand and floor, consequently making the room full of feathers, some of them tainted a sick colour of brown-black because of the ink.

Several other things were vandalised—the wardrobe, the tapestry, the walls, heck even the _floor_—and ruined to a state where it was near impossible to fix.

It was of no condolence that the mess meant that the soldiers had found nothing, whatever they were looking for. Savir had always been careful that whatever he found he gave it to his tribe straightaway for use, leaving no evidence for the soldiers to find.

But the several scorch marks suggested of the spells that the magicians of the castle had tried to break through, or broken through. Savir had put in a lot of them. Spells of silence, invisibility, deception, security sirens, but lock charms, mostly. By the amount of scorch marks on the walls Dacha saw that they had found most of them, and saw that the weapons that had been on the wall were confiscated.

But was his prize possession gone too?

Dacha immediately went to the wall that opened up to the secret passage way—the catacombs of the castle went practically everywhere—and took five steps forward, six to the left, seven behind, and one to the right. She pushed at a block at shoulder height and felt it grate to the side. She blindly reached through, and sighed in gratitude. His lyre was still there.

But where was _Savir_?

* * *

Dacha felt her stomach lurch at the sight. She'd come all the way from the Lost Woods with the cure, searched for hours through the castle, yet there seemed to be nothing she could do to help him.

"(Savir…!)"

The physicians of the castle had stripped him of his bandages to reveal placid, peeling skin, dry and crumbling almost like the bone-white desert. It plagued half his face on the left side, and his right arm looked as if it had been swapped by a re-dead. In the cracks were clotted blood and puss, flowing from his crusty wounds in sluggish lumpy drops, some of them lucky to reach the bed-sheets.

By the looks of things, he was at death's door.

"(Savir! Oh, by Din's Eye, please, please, please wake up! I've got the cure! C'mon… stop messing around and wake up! You've… you've got to be alive! … _Right!?_)"

After several desperate seconds in which Dacha dared not try and shake him awake, Sheik's eyelids cracked open, the skin at the corner of his right eye splitting apart to let a single sloppy drop of blood run free.

Somehow, someway, his eyes still remained cunning and strong. "Dacha…"

She nodded frantically as she kneeled beside his bed, gently clasping his untainted hand in hers. "(It's me. I brought the cure, see? Water from a Great Fairy's fountain, and some of her tears too. She seemed pretty eager to help when I mentioned your name, you sly dog.)"

Her attempt at light-hearted humour, she knew, was rather pathetic.

She busied herself by trying to release the vials from her hip with fumbling fingers. She wondered what she was supposed to do, despite having the cure to the problem. Was she supposed to wipe it into his wounds? Was she supposed to have him drink it? "(Look, I'll try to…)"

_Tap__-tap-tap._

Dacha spun around, heart in her throat and knives in her hand. She discovered the Hylian dressed in green that stood precariously on the windowsill, tapping the glass desperately while pointing towards the lock for entry.

Dacha pulled her arm back to throw. Hesitated when the Hylian outside crossed two middle fingers of his right hand over his chest. How the heck did he know of the Sheikah sign of honour?

Dacha wrenched the window open and put the points of her knives to his throat and hissed, "What the hell do you want?"

The blue-eyed blonde panted as if he'd run a mile or had just experienced a minor heart-attack. "You have to leave. I got myself spotted while looking for Sheik, and they think I'm Sheikah! You have to go before they find you. _Now_!"

"And why should I believe you?" she ground out angrily, mad beyond measure for the disruption this blundering Hylian had caused. "I don't intend to leave him alone with a _Hylian_."

The green-clad man half shrieked in exasperation. "Dacha we don't have time for th-"

"How the hell do you know my name!?"

"Dacha…"

Both turned abruptly to the dieing Sheikah, argument forgotten. He was looking at his two supposed healers with what seemed like mild amusement. "Re lli to fin… con le Ylián. Tu… se donat kame ye, mamec la Ruyel."

He closed his eyes.

"Oh crud." The man gasped, his breathing becoming more rapid, "Oh crud, crud, crud, crud, crud. _Sheik_!"

"M' fine…" the Sheikah mumbled, his eyes still closed,

The stranger dived for the bed and cursed savagely. He put three bottles full of metal liquid, all a different hue, a different bottle containing water that seemed to sparkle to the floor and began to strip the Sheikah of the bed-cloths.

"_What are you doing_!?" Dacha shrieked, grabbing hold of the Hylian's arm,

"I'm trying to fix him, that's what!" the man hissed, glaring with his winter eyes, "Now help me by getting new bandages! These lousy castle living idiots don't know what they're doing!"

He finally got rid of Sheik's shirt, and was immediately tempted to throw up. Most of his chest—and likely his back, too—was contaminated with that same, crumbly, decaying look, and worst of all, it was on his left side. Right on top of his heart.

The Hylian swore spectacularly, which forced a tired chuckle out of the Sheikah. Taking that as a sign that his friend was indeed still fit enough to live, but teetering on the edge, Link scrambled to open a bottle. Looking for something around the room, he noticed the two vials hanging from Dacha's hip, and looked amazed. "Is that Fountain Water? And Fairy tears?"

Dacha hid them from view. "What's it to you?"

"Everything! Quick, empty all of it in a bowl and mix it with this." he handed her a bottle full of what looked like liquid pearl. "And soak as much bandages as you can in it."

"What about _your_ water!?"

"I need it to clean Sheik's system out! Now stop complaining and get to work!" he yelled back, blue fire in his eyes.

Dacha reluctantly got to work.

She watched him from the corner of her eye, making sure that he didn't do anything funny. She did as she was told, but she always kept an eye on him, one of her hands always itching it grasp a knife. He mixed his Fountain water with Liquid metal with a green hue, tipping it into Sheik's mouth. He murmured sincere words as he helped Sheik drink, giving a display of brotherly affection that couldn't be fake.

"Here," she said, giving him the soaked bandages, still unable to believe a _Hylian _was helping them out, "What're you going to do now?"

He licked dry lips and said, "The thing about this… condition, I guess, is that it spreads from the entry point. I'm guessing he had a cut on his arm and one on his side. Why didn't he _tell_ me?" he asked almost to himself, looking both exasperated and guilty at the same time. "I've given him my Fountain Water mixed with Gohma Juice, so that should stop the spread…"

Sheik gave a disgusted cough. Dacha raised an eyebrow. "What's a Gohma?"

Link gave an embarrassed grin. "You wouldn't want to know."

He grabbed the last bottle, liquid metal with a tinge of yellow, "This, he has to take once he heals."

"_If_ I heal," Sheik sighed, his head lolling to the side,

"Say that again and I'll kill you."

Sheik did not chuckle. Dacha knew that to be a bad sign.

"What about magic?" she asked frantically, putting an imploring gaze to the Hylian.

Colour mottled his cheeks. "I know the spells, but I don't have the power. Cuts and grazes I can handle, but… this is way over my head. I need help! I know how to _handle_ magical stuff, give me a rod that can give statues life, or masks with demonic souls stuck in them but… I'm useless!"

"It's the damn hat…"

"Shut up about the damn hat!" the Hylian yelled,

"Both of you shut up!" Dacha yelled back, panic in her red eyes.

The men wondered why, until they heard yelling from both outside the door and window. The Hylian paled and grabbed at Dacha, pushing her to the window, "Get going! I'll keep a look out on Sheik, don't you dare come back for him, you hear!? If they get you, the whole treaty fiasco will be ruined!"

"How do you know about th-"

"Get going!"

Dacha threw herself out of the room and into the dark, giving one last fleeting glance to the dying Sheikah before leaving.

Link hastily began to prepare a barricade on the door. An ornate chair was propped up against the handle, the handle itself was secured to a hook on the wall with a piece of string, makeshift wedge were pushed into the door frame, and several other random things in hopes of keeping the door shut.

Link went back to the bed and glared. "Why the heck did you bring up the damn hat!?"

Sheik chuckled and tried lifting himself up with his untainted arm. Link, alarmed, held him down, hissing, "Stop being an idiot! You're not invincible, and you're definitely not healthy! Just tell me why you brought up the damn hat!"

Sheik chuckled again, sighing. His head lolled to the side so he could meet the Hero's gaze. When he spoke, it was in a hoarse whisper. "Magic in objects expire… usually. Your hat's lasted too long… acting… like leach… you _have_ power Lynda. Just… not as Link."

The said Hylian jumped when someone outside rammed at the door. He frantically looked from the door to the dieing Sheikah, back and forth, back and forth, wondering whether what his friend was saying was true, wondering, if it was, could he really help…? But the guards, they'll see him, he'll be killed, but maybe not as Lynda since he was technically a Princess then but…

Ugh! What the heck!

Link ripped the hat off of his head and murmured the spell for fast healing, shocked when gold light emitted from her Triforce, bubbling into the Sheikah. Lynda licked dry lips and changed the spell for the one that would stop the spread of the Stalfos curse, and another to revive his life force, which, once tapped into, found to be dwindling considerably. She watched Sheik consistently as she worked, finding that he didn't struggle, a satisfied smile on is lips as he drifted to sleep.

When she was done the door to the room exploded, and the soldiers came streaming in, pikes held to her throat.

* * *

Two days later Sheik deemed himself healthy enough walk around the castle, fully armed and ready for action, despite the horrible aching his body was going through.

It was worth it, just for the look on those soldiers' faces.

He sighed a good job well done for talking Lynda into letting him walk around freely, settling into his chair of his newly fixed room, which he pretended not to notice that it had several signs of major trashing.

There was nothing to worry about, after all.

"(Heya Dacha,)" he greeted without turning to the window, leaning on the two back legs of the chair, "(You have my lyre?)"

She tossed it and he caught it. Her tone was accusing when she said, "(I want to ask you something.)"

Sheik waved his hand and swung the chair on a final leg, finally meeting her hurt gaze. "(Ask away,)" he said, looking concerned.

She hesitated. She sat on the windowsill and swung her legs contemplatively, watching her friend warily at the same time. "(It's about the Princess.)"

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "(Oh?)"

"(It's just that…)" she looked away and muttered, "(You sounded like you cared about her.)"

Sheik now looked utterly perplexed. "(I'm sorry, I don't think I'm following what you're saying…)"

"(When you were dying, oh don't give me that look you were definitely_ dying_, you told me to look after the Princess.)" She said, an accusing tone to her words.

Savir rolled his eyes. "(Of course; she's vital in our mission. Without her we wouldn't have come this far, frankly. I think she'll be more use to us, as long as we keep an eye on her,)"

Dacha seemed unrealistically relieved. "(It was just that… the way you said it made it sound like you really cared about her. Almost like a sister or… something more.)"

Sheik shook his head. "(Nope. None of that sort of thing, don't worry about it.)"

Dacha smiled bashfully and hopped into the room, giving a sidelong glance to her friend. "(So, uh… how're you feeling? Is your arm okay?)"

Sheik lifted the said arm and flexed his fingers, still bandaged in soaked cloth, "(Can't be too careful.)"

She stepped closer and held the bandaged hand, twining the fingers carefully, watching Sheik's reaction. His gaze was one of questioning and gentle warning, and it hurt her.

"(Savir…!)" She protested, as he gently let his hand free from hers.

"(Dash, we've talked of this befor-)"

"(But you said you felt for me! You said you-)"

"(Once, maybe.)" He gently interrupted back, an apologetic light in his gaze, "(But we know each other too well, Dash. It'd only make life uninteresting, believe me.)"

Anger at rejection brimmed in her eyes, and she spat, "(It's Lynda, isn't it.)"

"(Dash…)"

"(It is!)" Her rose-like eyes grew thorns. "(You care about her more than you do about me!)"

"(Dash, now you're just being difficult.)" Sheik growled, standing up, "(We're friends. Lynda and I; we've got nothing. They will be nothing from now on, too, okay? Now if you haven't got anything to report, I think I'll go snoop in Zelda's library, thanks.)"

Hurt, Dacha left looking downcast.

Sheik just hoped there wouldn't be more troubles from her.


	9. Enemies and Allies

_**Enemies and Allies.**_

Lynda was bored out of her mind.

She was wearing her yellow tunic and her favourite ear-rings, the blue ones, and her hair in a ponytail. She glanced at the hat that hung on her bed post, pinched herself for being tempted, and then walked to the door that led outside her room.

Slowly she turned the knob. She glanced around the door and was sourly disappointed to find the guard there. Sneaking didn't seem to be an option. "Excuse me."

He glanced her way and then returned to staring absently towards the far wall. "Yes, your Highness?"

She shuffled her feet behind the door, closing it enough so only one of her eyes were visible, "Yeah, I was wondering… what time does everybody else wake? I mean, Zelda for instance."

Another quick glance. "Not for another four hours, your Majesty."

"You're joking."

The guard recoiled slightly with the tone.

Lynda noticed, and tried to make amends; her partial freedom depended solely upon his approval towards her. She even opened the door a little further. "Sorry for the rudeness, but… what am I supposed to do for the next four hours? What does… my family, do?"

The old guard pretended not to notice the bitter tone in her voice. "Perhaps the Princess Zelda revises through her personal library, but I believe, my liege, that they stay in bed."

Lynda gawped at him as if she couldn't believe her ears. "They sleep until eleven in the morning? It's almost lunch by then! And…" she shuddered, "Zelda has a _personal library_?"

The guard cocked an eyebrow behind his visage. "Does not the Princess Lynda enjoy literature?"

She shuddered again. "No. I hate reading. I can barely read signposts; why would I want to read sheets and sheets of nonsense? And please, don't call me Princess. I… I'm not comfortable with it."

The pleading in her eyes softened him up a bit. "As you wish, your Highness."

She made a face as if something funny was stuck between her teeth. The guard observed the girl look up and down the corridor, an almost calculating look in her eyes. Once finished she sized him up, looking at the sharp end of his spear as if it were a challenge.

She looked at him dead in the eyes and said, "What's your name?"

The old man blinked. Since when was the last time people asked him that? "Ian Mayne, your Highness."

She smiled. "Okay, Mr. Mayne. Do you think you could let me walk around a bit?"

"I'm afraid I cannot, your Highness."

Her face fell. She practically whined, "But _why_?"

"Your safety is our duty, your Highness. I must be certain that you are in safe hands, by making sure that you stay in your room."

"How old am I, three?" she scoffed back, closing the door.

Ian couldn't help but smile.

Lynda tapped her foot irritably on the floor, looking around her room. She didn't feel too happy with the fact that it seemed large enough to cover the whole of Kokiri square, not to mention the bed could've housed the whole population of her village. She really, really wanted to explore her new cage.

She opened the door and peered round the edge again and asked, "What if you followed me around?"

Ian seemed to think it over.

"Please? Pretty please? Just around the corridors? I just want to see how this place works, like the kitchens, the armoury… um… the armoury…"

He said it carefully, slowly, trying not to sound accusing or wary. "Why are you interested in the armoury?"

"I swordfight for fun." She admitted and stepped outside, trying to look small and insignificant, "It's just that… I've never tried using a Ball and Chain before; I'm interested in how the technique goes."

"A Ball-and-chain."

"Mm-hm." She nodded, a perfect picture of innocence.

Ian tried his best to steer the conversation somewhere less frightening. "What about knitting, Princess?"

She frowned. "I'm _Lynda_. Repeat after me: _Li_-n-_da_. And I've never tried knitting before. I can weave and sew well enough, but how's those supposed to help you survive? Can you knit fishing nets? Is that how they're made?"

She plunked herself onto the floor, crossing her legs, the epitome of interested attention.

Ian found himself a little flustered. "I'm not quite sure how fishing nets are made myself, but, knitting can be very useful. With only two sticks and long string, you can make all the clothing of the world. Scarves, mittens, jackets, anything."

Lynda nodded. "But I don't see why I should knit when I can weave and sew."

"I think it would be less time consuming, your Highness."

"I see," Lynda said, nodding in a sagely manner. She leapt and cart-wheeled backwards, standing several feet away from the stunned guard. "Thanks for the talk! I'll look around myself, now. You're welcome to join!"

She sprinted away, laughing.

* * *

It was a full half-hour playing cat and mouse before the guard caught up with the Princess. But even then, the situation did not go for the better. She was royalty, so as far as her blood was concerned, she could not be escorted to her room through brute force. Besides, it was not in Ian's nature to grab a young woman anyway. The old man, whose hair was already white from the flow of time, did the only thing he could think to do: reason.

It was failing miserably.

"Princess…"

She kept humming.

"Your Highness…"

She hummed a more complicated tune.

Ian gave up and muttered, "Miss Lynda…"

She made a distasteful face, but seemed resigned that it was not going to get any better. But definitely grateful for the guard's effort, she turned around and smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, you know, for calling me that. I'm sorry I've been throwing you around a bit. Look, how about you keep calling me 'Miss Lynda' and I'll retreat to my room. Deal?"

Ian Mayne sighed, tired. He remembered having a daughter her age, but he hadn't realized just how much he missed her compared to such a boy-ish Princess. "Of course, your High… Miss Lynda."

"Thank you," she said earnestly before making a U-turn towards her room. She looked at the tired looking old man, and deciding that she had nothing to be afraid of; she offered her arm (because that was what she had been instructed to do for ladies as Link) and said, "So, Mr. Mayne, what's it like around here?"

* * *

Sheik was making sure his spells of silence and secrecy were working when his first visitor knocked. He opened the window and ushered them in, smiling in a satisfactory manner when his eyes kept slipping off the cloak his visitor was wearing. He'd been a little apprehensive, putting that spell on those cloaks, but now, seeing his acquaintance stepping into his room, not being able to be looked at… tweaking magic definitely was worthwhile.

"(Dacha, take off that cloak or all I'll be able to do is talk to the wall you're standing next to.)"

"(Your fault then,)" she gruffly replied, stubbornly keeping the garment on, brushing at her black hair.

Sheik smiled tolerantly, shrugging. "(Whatever suits you then,)"

She scowled and leaned back in a corner, waiting for the other representatives to arrive.

They came soon enough, all of them wearing the cloaks Sheik had spelled over, pulling them off to reveal middle-aged men and women, all from the different tribes of the Sheikah. Sheik counted seven and was content with the number. Now, all they had to wait for was… ah.

A portal that reminded everybody of a bottomless well appeared in the centre of the room, and from it a cloaked figure rose, a powerful aura emanating from the figure. There was a silence of awe, several bowed their heads to the persona, and Dacha finally took off the cloak in hopes of being seen and noticed.

It was Sheik that spoke first: "(Wonderful theatrics, Impa. I hope you haven't desecrated any of my barriers; I'd hate seeing any of us caught by our dear Zelda. Or the King.)"

Impa did not respond to the dry humour. Merely frowning at his impertinence, the sage stepped up to the map of Hyrule Castle Town, sceptically looking over its patterns. She looked up at the teenager who was getting stabbed in the back by several heated glares, and asked, "(What is the plan?)"

He shrugged. "(Simple. In two days' time, The Royal Family will be riding through here,)" he slid his fingertips across the red line that indicated the main road from the Castle to the town, "(And while the King goes on a long speech about Lynda's return, we're going to make sure nothing too _unpleasant_, happens. Word about the treaty spread insanely fast…)"

Sheik shook his head, appalled with the King and his complaints, with the castle's gossipy maids. "(Anyway, the townspeople aren't happy with Zelda's decision. She may force Lynda into speaking, and that's when the riots will most likely begin. I'm thinking we spread all our forces through the crowd; evenly, carefully, _discreetly._ Keep a look-out on assassins, thugs, anything that may cause us trouble. And now,)" Sheik stepped back and let a hand sweep over the assembled Sheikah, "(You all may choose where you'd like your troops.)"

The muttering began, and Sheik glanced into the walls, shifting his sight, tilting his head to the side like an owl. He saw the seal and its branches of silence and secrecy covering the wall in erratic right angle lines. He checked the other seals on the other walls and the ceiling and the floor. He made sure the window was closed and the anti-sight barrier was still intact.

Sheik let himself sigh and carefully listened to the mutterings of his 'superiors'.

* * *

The grey-brunette Lady with hair tied up in an impossibly neat bun looked up and down the Princess's body, putting an extraordinarily thin finger to her temple in thought. Lynda was wearing a peach satin robe that clung to her like a second skin, making her feel extremely awkward.

The woman, ignoring or unaware of the Princess's distress, scrutinized the curve of her jaw —almost too hard to belong to a face so small and thin— the bare forearms —not as muscley as she had feared— and thankfully not as tall as her sister. Her whole frame was not the enviable hourglass figure Zelda had so easily acquired; her hips weren't as wide as expected, her waist was completely smooth muscle, and her chest was not as round or full as Zelda's. She looked like a tall child, more or less.

"Well, Princess," the Lady commented, "You have a fine stature, to say the least. However, we must do something about your posture."

She looked up and cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The Lady winced. "And your speech, your highness."

She looked more perplexed. "What's wrong with it?"

"It is not 'Huh', my Lady, it is 'Excuse me', or 'Pardon'."

Lynda gave a sheepish grin and wrung her hands nervously.

The Lady clapped her hands twice and the maids that had lined themselves at her far wall marched two steps forward, unnervingly like a small army.

"Now," the Lady said, smiling thinly at Lynda's wary gaze, "As you probably know, my name is Mistress Sarren. From now on, I am your tutor in all aspects that will converge with being a Princess. This includes Hylian History, Ancient Hylian, Literature, Music, Mathematics, Geography, Commerce, the Study of past Kings and Queens, Diplomacy, Conversation, Poise, and Manners."

Lynda frowned bravely. "What's wrong with my manners?"

"There will be eight spoons, nine forks, and four knives around your three plates. Do you know which of these you will use while eating soup, meat and bread?"

She blinked, thought, and said, "Open mouth, insert foot."

* * *

Dacha drifted towards Sheik and leaned on the wall next to him, muttering, "(You know that this very room got seriously trashed, right?)"

He gave an affirming hum, still listening to the geezers' debating.

"(Do you know how much of a mess it was in?)"

"(Vaguely. I know that some sorcerers tried breaking through some spells. Don't worry; none were found.)"

"(But those scorch marks…!)"

"(They hit a ward. It was connected to all my other spells, and when it was found, it eradicated all of them. It's going to take a while to get them all back…)" he gave a tired sigh, thinking of the bandages on his arm and torso.

"(But Savir, wouldn't that ward be considered suspicious?)"

Sheik shrugged. "(Highly doubtful. It was disguised as a purely Hylian spell; as far as they were concerned, it was just something basic to keep away mediocre spies. Every other room has that sort of precaution.)"

Dacha seemed highly nervous now. "(But what would they think of that? Wouldn't they be suspicious to find that kind of spell in _your _room? What would happen to you if they find your… their… that barrier thing up again? Why would they start bombing the place if they didn't find anything?)"

Sheik smiled lazily behind his mask. "(Exactly: they didn't find anything. All that ripping, crashing, for no plausible point. They'd have to vent their anger somehow, now don't they? As for the barrier actually being there, well, as far as they know it could've been there before me. Now, about putting it back up… I highly doubt I'll be doing that. I think I'll just take every spell down when I leave the room and put it all back up when I get back.)"

Dacha noticed the annoyed frown. "(Wouldn't it be taxing? For your strength, I mean.)"

"(I'll handle it.)"

His friend was about to object when she was called over to decide where she thought their chief would want his troops. Sheik was about to listen to the geezers again when another disturbance presented itself.

Sheik sighed tiredly. "(Impa. What do I owe you for this conversation?)"

She wore a dangerous scowl as she crossed her arms. "(Zelda's pain.)"

"(Oh?)"

Impa didn't like the way Sheik's interest perked up. "(Savir, Zelda's been distraught since Lynda's arrival; it has something to do with you, and I'd like to know exactly what's going on.)"

Sheik blinked. "(You're telling me you don't know? Can't you sense it from her?)"

"(All I sense from Zelda is grief and regret, Savir. If it's Lynda you're talking about, yes, I have sensed some power from her, but…)"

"(Impa, that's not 'some' power. That's the Triforce of Courage. As in, Lynda's the Hero of Time. You know that ridiculous hat Link used to always wear? Apparently that changed her gender.)"

Impa scowled. "(What are you hiding from me, Savir?)"

"(Hide what, Impa,)" Sheik replied irritably, trying vainly to concentrate on the geezers' ranting,

"(Since when did you have the power to erase memories? To keep Zelda's magic in check, to manipulate spells to your advantage, to be able to do all those things and slip through the sights of the Sages?)"

Sheik cursed at his carelessness, trying to think up something to say. "(What, you think I'm dangerous? I'm flattered.)"

Impa twitched an impatient eyebrow. Sheik sighed. "(Impa, as far as I'm concerned, the Sages are all powerful; aside from the Wielders of the Triforce pieces. If you guys couldn't detect my magic, then I mustn't have enough power to be a plausible threat. Besides, you always knew I had a knack for memory manipulation, and as for—as you put it—'keeping Zelda's magic in check', she was emotionally unstable at that point. I don't think it'd be easy conjuring Triforce powers when you're going off the hook.)"

Impa watched him suspiciously, but he didn't change his expression or even move. Finding that more unnerving than reassuring, Impa requested carefully, "(May I look at your hand?)"

If looks could murder, Sheik's glare would've done a splendid job of it. "(I don't think that would be appropriate at this time and place, _Aunt_…)"

"(Give me your hand. Now.)"

Knowing which one it was, and hating himself for complying to the demand, Sheik wrenched his left hand from his bindings and thrust it into the Sage's face.

On his palm was a spiral of scars, the Markings of Faith. It wasn't as large as the chief's, but the pinpricks that were supposed to look like brown, healthy freckles resembled scars from white hot needles, black and sickly as death. All except for the one in the middle.

Impa hissed in outrage.

Sheik snatched the offending limb away, wearing a feral grin. "(Surprised?)"

Impa's anger grew at Sheik's acidic tone. "(Do you feel no shame!? This goes against everything your ancestors have worked for! Do you not realise?! It's the things that _you_ are doing that lowers the reputation of the Sheikah! Those _promises_, Savir, goes against everything that we are working for this very _moment_!)"

Sheik evenly held Impa's eyes, black mirth in his soft snort. "(Did you honestly think I was helping you all from the goodness of my heart? Did you honestly believe, that I was working for the sake of being selfless? Impa, I think the time you've spent in the Sacred Realm has dulled your senses.)"

The Shadow Sage's aura had slowly darkened the room, as if a whole storm had suddenly engulfed the meeting. The representatives watched the teenager stand coolly in front of the enraged near-immortal, wondering what kind of madness the young man had revealed in order to distress such a level-headed leader.

"(Then tell me, Savir,)" Impa lowered her face right in front of Sheik's, the things she could do reflecting in her eyes, "(Why do you even help? What do you gain from all this? And most importantly, what is stopping me from striking you down right now?)"

Sheik let a lazy smirk rise to his face, watching stupid bandits get strangled by Redeads, Deadhands wrenching tomb-raiders limb by limb, Keese pecking eyes from children disfiguring tombstones, a corpse screaming from nightmares of the living… "(I help because it benefits me, what I gain is up to me, and why you don't strike me down…)"

Slowly Sheik pulled out crystals with muddy centres, all of them the size of his thumbnail, linked on leather ties. He showed them to everyone, who were staring avidly for the impudent Sheikah's demise, "(These were donated from one of my informants. They shall change your eye colour, if you tap into them with your will. Brown, as you can probably guess.)"

The representatives grumbled. A woman with gold streaks tattooed on her cheeks demanded, "(Who gave them to you? How do you know we can trust this informant? How can we trust _you_?)"

A murmur of consent. Sheik stepped away from the wall and away from Impa. "(Gentlemen, and women, you seem to forget that you don't _have_ anybody else to trust aside from me. Sure, Impa's loyal to you, but recently, who can deny that she's been acting Sage first? And who doesn't wonder whether she feels more a nursemaid to Princess Zelda than a Sheikah? You all know these are dangerous times; even your greatest leader, you cannot trust. And as for my informant, well, I don't think there's any point in telling you their name, since, they don't even remember they helped. Even if they did…)" Sheik shrugged.

"(How do we know they work?)" a man with white hair demanded, despite looking like he only just entered his thirties.

Sheik scoffed. "(Do you really think I haven't tested them out? They work; even for those who don't know an inkling of magic. And for as long as you will it to boot.)"

"(Are there enough?)"

"(There should be. If there aren't, I'll ask for more; now do me a favour and tell me how many troops you're setting up in your areas, and I'll send the pendants by owl tonight.)"

The Sheikah men and women grudgingly told him, disliking the way he nodded at the statistics and wrote them down, hating the fact they had to bow their heads to a mere slave of the Royal Family, a mere child. They shrugged on the coats that had brought them to the castle safely, trying to ignore the fact it was the boy who spelled them, and left.

Dacha was the last to say goodbye. "(Savir, why's Impa so mad you?)"

Sheik shook his head, "(You really don't want to know.)"

Dacha, worried for him, gave him a swift hug before retreating, jumping out the window and into the afternoon. Impa watched a weary Sheik turn on her, tone not of arrogance but of exhaustion, "(You know what I want.)"

"(That is not the way of getting it.)" she nodded towards the hand and stopped the urge of spitting in disgust.

"(But without them, this operation would've been finished before it even started.)"

The Sage growled and snapped her fingers, making the portal reappear on the floor. Wordlessly she left, sinking slowly into the shadows as if it were quicksand.

Sheik sighed and began to work through the numbers and lists, trying to remember how many pendants he had gained and how much he would need. He looked over the map, the different shades of colour representing the different tribes and their positions. Dacha's, he noted, were on the rooftops; he wondered whether that was a good idea, but left it at that.

He began to jot in his own colours, marking places he needed to ward, places he knew rioters would try and escape through. That done, he proceeded to put down his silence and secrecy wards before going onto the anti-sight one on the window.

Then he spotted something in the gardens and groaned. "This is one heck of a day…"

* * *

Lynda breathed in deep, long and loudly, trying to get as much fresh air into her lungs as possible. It was saddening that the only way to cure her homesickness was to spend her time in the gardens. Even if she threw herself onto the grass, smeared herself with sap, did every barbaric act of trying to be part of a forest far away by destroying the garden she was in… it would never be enough.

But she snapped a branch of a hedge anyway, putting her nose to the opening to smell the crisp scent of a living tree.

"What in Din's name are you doing?"

Lynda jumped and turned from her sitting position, finding Sheik crouching next to her, looking incredulous behind his scarf and fringe.

"I miss home," she simply said, before returning to the snapped branch, shaving all of its leaves into a pile on her lap, Sheik watching intently.

She was wearing a brown dress, a white undershirt underneath. Aside from the stiff ribbon that held her hair in a high ponytail and the blue earrings she always wore in her ears, he saw no accessories. Not even shoes.

Sheik found himself liking the image far too much.

Lynda looked up from her work, an accusing glare to her lake-blue eyes. "Stop staring."

"Pardon me, Princess," he huffed, pulling back the uninterested mask, "Can't one wonder why one's dressed un-accordingly to one's title?"

Her frown deepened into a snarl. "You go fancy-talking me and I will push this branch through your throat."

Sheik followed the flailing of the branch, not as menacing as the look the Princess was giving him. "It was Mistress Sarren, wasn't it."

"If it's the last thing I'll do, I will wage a full war on her and her stupid heels." She scathed, stabbing the branch into the soft earth. She proceeded to rip at the collected leaves, growling obscenities under her breath.

Sheik couldn't help but smile. "Heels?"

"Those _abominations_, shouldn't be called shoes. They should be called 'Feet-eaters'! Do you know by how much they hurt my toes? They're worse then Dekubaba! She kept insisting that the shoes were the right size when my feet felt like they were being squeezed by Wall-Masters, and they're so unbelievably hard to walk in! Furore, it's like they want to lame me or something! And they won't give me my boots back!"

Sheik found himself chuckling at her rants. He sat back as she continued on, resigned to the fact that he was going to be there for a while. "You know what they did to my boots!? They cut them in half—in _half!_—and put them on my head! 'Walk around without making them fall off, Highness, you have to make sure your posture is perfect for the march!'" she made her voice higher for the mistress, and then fumed in her own voice, "Screw that! They ruined my boots! _My boots_!"

"Dare I ask what's so important about your boots, Hero?"

"They were my first and only pair!" she wailed, amusing Sheik by completely missing the change in title, "They went through all the Temples of Hyrule, walked across Termina, survived through nine operations to be brought back to life, I kicked my first Peahat with them! They were the ones I fitted the Iron Soles and Hover Wings on! Now that they hardly go past my ankles, how can I be sure they won't slip off or something!?"

She stopped ranting on a whimper, sounding close to a sob. "They were my best boots…"

"Only boots."

"Still the best…"

Sheik fondly patted her back, prompting her to look at him miserably. "Think of it this way: when you get new boots, you might get a chance to use them especially for kicking servants you don't like."

"But when you kick them you get told off," Lynda muttered, scooping up her skirts to hug her legs, "At least with monsters people don't mind; hell, they worship you for it. It starts to suck when your life goes on the line, but… I have to have the occasional adrenaline rush. And those boots gave them to me! And now… my occasional adrenaline rushes are over. They're just not the same without my boots."

"Ah, well," he said, standing up, "We'll get you a new pair once the publicity blows over, deal?"

"Nothing beats my old boots." She mumbled, surprising Sheik by extending both her hands to him, wordlessly asking for a helping hand. He pulled her up gently, careful not to make the same mistake as the forest.

But as she let go, Sheik found himself almost reluctant to let go, found her cool hands leave imprints of relief in his magic-burnt paws, found himself noting that they weren't that small, they could still wield a sword nicely if they wanted to, that she was really light for a person like her, she looked nice with her hair tied up…

No. _No_. She was of Royal Blood! Just think of all the things that they made you go through, Savir, do you really want to get involved with one? No, no he didn't. Good.

"Sheik?" Lynda had turned to regard the boy, her head cocked to the side. "Why do you wear that all the time? Dacha doesn't."

He fiddled with the cowl, deciding on a part-truth. "The Castle gents don't appreciate having Sheikah around. Thanks to this, they're terrified of me." he chuckled to himself. "You won't believe how many of them think I have a blind eye from a Wolfos attack."

"But why would you want them terrified?"

"To protect myself," he said simply, joining her walk back to the castle, "Hylians fear what they don't understand. They can't understand why Sheikah can be so close to death and not be bothered about it. They can't understand why we have eyes that remind them of blood. They can't understand why a person would want to hide their face. Imaginations go wild, and there you have; a terrifying picture of a member of a terrifying race."

She nodded in fascinated consent, although frowning a little. "I didn't find that mask terrifying when I first saw you. You know, in the other time. Actually," she grinned boyishly, looking slightly smug with herself, "I find it creepy you even _had_ a face behind your scarf. I didn't recognise you at first when you barged in on my home; I think you looked scarier."

"Why thank you," he said, "You look quite dashing yourself, as a woman."

She made a sour face and said, "Touché."

Sheik snorted with genuine amusement, and Lynda chuckled too.

They didn't notice the jealous eyes that watched them heatedly, fingers curling menacingly over a dagger.


	10. Old and New

_**Old but New**_

Sheik slid down the wall, his legs finally giving way beneath him. His chest and midsection burnt; blood was dripping down from his mouth and a cut behind and above his left ear. His vision dimmed.

Damn that demon! If he hadn't freed it from that stupid well, it wouldn't be at large right now! Sheik cursed savagely as his muscles refused to move, Bongo's magic raking through his veins. It was almost a relief to feel the rain through his suit, despite it meaning that he was most likely going to be seriously ill later…

He forced his arm to lift and his fingers to turn a doorknob. He knew this place was called the Skultula house, but he didn't think too deeply on it or care. Get out of the rain. Heal his wounds. Get back to the Black King before he thinks his little Sheikah ran and betrayed him or died in failure…

He stumbled into the dust-filled shack, and before he blacked out from the pain and stench, he heard the spine-tingling scuttles of flesh eating spiders…

He woke up to a wet cloth stroking his brow, and for a fleeting, wonderful second he thought he was _safe._ He didn't need to worry about jealous Gerudos, or rampaging Lizalfos, putting living Skeletons in line, keeping the Re-deads alive, keeping his mind closed to the King, getting the words of the Princess to the Hero, slaying those who suspected or knew, keeping his magic from the King, trying to ignore the Gerudo's hot breath at the back of his neck…

Sheik shuddered and lurched forward, a restraining hand pressing hard against his chest.

By Din it _stung_.

"I'm sorry," a woman fretted, still holding him down with her hands, "But you really shouldn't move; I'm still not quite sure whether the fairies are finished with your ribs, and you seem really battered…"

Sheik blinked the haze from his eyes, and above him a worried young woman was regarding him with deep blue eyes, seemingly unafraid of his gaze, hair tumbling down in wavy tresses of honey and sunshine.

He was oddly reminded of the Princess and the Hero at the same time.

She lifted a hand from his chest and pressed the cloth again to his forehead, gingerly travelling across to the cut behind his ear. He flinched but said nothing.

"What," she said, playfully, "Not even a 'thank you'? A classic 'where am I?' would be nice."

Sheik scowled and tried to force himself up again. This time the girl didn't stop him, but her hands were ready to catch him if he fell, face creased in apparent worry. Once he was up he noticed that his cowl was still wrapped around his face.

"You left it," he commented lowly, touching the silk, "Why?"

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I just guessed you had a reason to wear it. I don't need a Sheikah on my heels just 'cause I broke a sacred rule of face-covering now do I? Not that I mean any disrespect, I mean… yeah. No hard feelings."

She put the wet cloth into a bowl of water, which was fouled with more blood than Sheik expected it to be. After all, he wasn't hurt that badly… was he? But then he noticed the bandages on her forearm and realised the blood must be her's. He watched her wring the cloth and bring a bottle of potion near, dabbing the cloth into the concoction, making a corner a gentle red.

"May I?" she asked, indicating the cut behind his ear.

Having no choice he nodded, letting the potion singe his skin, forcefully healing his deep cut. She cautiously looked at him, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Sheik."

She smiled crookedly. "Because you're one of the Sheikah? Come on, at that rate I'd be called Hylie of the Hylians. Oh, yeah, speaking of which, I'm Lynda." She hesitated in shifting his fringe before pulling back. "I was hoping that maybe you could trust me."

Sheik hardened his stare, "You shouldn't go trusting anybody in these times."

She looked away, shifting uncomfortably. "But you tried to stop the Demon coming up from the Well. That's worth trusting in someone, don't you think?"

Sheik found himself perfectly calm on the outside, alarmed on the inside. It had been in the middle of the _night_ when this happened! Why did this girl know? _How_? He'd been so sure nobody was watching while he'd uncast the bindings Impa had on Bongo, restraining the demon just when the Hero of Time had come…

Was it then? Did she wake up and see him with the hero? If that was the case…

Sheik watched her go and toss the bowl of water and blood into the rain, meeting the Potions' Hag on the way. He had to get rid of her. She may start talking to others about him helping the Hero of Time; he was _dead_ when that kind of talk reached the King.

She came back to put everything away, looking irritated about something the Hag had said. He watched her carefully, trying to figure out whether she was really a threat, just how talkative she might be…

"Why do you help me?"

"Huh?" she asked, interrupted from her muttering, "Why I help you?" She paused, as if to think it over, or think up a good lie. She shrugged. "Meh, 'cause everybody needs help now, I guess. If nobody else is going to do it, I guess I might as well help myself with the helping. It's a shame I can't say the same for food though,"

Sheik glared at her laugh, wondering why and how a person could be so cheerful after such an attack on one's home. "I could be one of Ganondorf's men. I could be part of his inner circle, for all you know." Which, he was. "I could've been pretending to hold the demon, when I could've just as easily released it. Yet you help me. Why?"

"Geez, you sound just like the Potion Lady," she muttered, before wearing a knowing smile that made him wary, "Because, if you really _were_ Ganondorf's lackey, you owe me. Ha. A man of Ganondorf owing a simple village girl like me; I'm so awesome."

She posed mock-dramatically, a hand placed on her chest in self-pride.

"You'll get yourself killed, at this rate." By the one she helped, no less.

She shrugged. "So what? We're always at risk now. We're never safe, even in the warmest room, or in your crush's arms." She blushed and looked away, as if unable to believe that she'd just said that, "We should live life the way we want, and I want to live my life saving random Sheikah who nearly get themselves eaten by Skultulas."

She grinned at his frown. "You shouldn't do that, you know. It ruins your looks, if you have any under that scarf." She stood and brushed her tunic off, a blue that matched her eyes, "I have to go; other random unconscious people to save. Oh… by the way, has anyone ever told you that you have wonderful eyes?"

He blinked, not knowing what to say, and she laughed.

* * *

Sheik woke from his memory dream, and wondered why his subconscious had brought it up. It wasn't one of his brighter moments, to say the least. Releasing a demon that his aunt had bound—onto her childhood memories, no less—lying to the Hero, plotting to kill the girl that had helped him, not to mention soon after that he'd been murdered by Ganondorf himself for having too much magical power at his disposal.

Wait, that girl…

"So I _had_ met her before," he muttered as he rose from bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he searched blindly for a shirt. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Lynda, if she had known what Sheik was thinking, couldn't agree more.

"Do I have to wear this?" she squeaked, as she held onto a bed-post for dear life, her midsection screaming at the discomfort.

The maid that was holding the ropes grunted. "Yes, my lady. Corsets are essential in retaining your grace. You are also a Princess! You must live up to your title!"

"I'll suffocate before I can 'live up' to the title, you know that?" she wheezed, as the final knot was tied with a horrible jerk,

"Nonsense," said the maid, wrinkled with age and round as a Goron, "All ladies your status and age wear corsets, and none of them have so far, as you call it, 'suffocated'. Now on with the dress!"

Lynda tried to breathe, failed, and so began to pant instead. "By the way… how did you know that I… well… I don't like being touched?"

One of the maids gave a giggle and said, "The soldier at your door gave us a tip, see?"

"Oh…" Ian? Lynda thought, But I didn't even tell him…

"Don't worry lass," said the maid that was ushering her to a seat in front of the vanity table, "Nothing to be ashamed of, like, I hate seein' spiders. They creep me to the bone, see?"

"Oh yeah, I had that once," Lynda thought of Gohma and its children and shivered. "But then I had to get over it because the forest was full of 'em. But some of the venom's good for healing, did you know that?"

"Ack! I'll never go near a red potion again!"

Lynda laughed, but stopped when she got a little woozy from lack of air.

* * *

Ian had been a soldier for a long time, so he, like other seniors, had developed a sort of soldier-sense. A kind of instinct that told him that something really, really bad was going to happen.

And it was ringing so much that he worried of his heart failing.

He watched Lynda carefully, relieved that she seemed perfectly comfortable in a saddle although she had complained about riding sideways. She did seem a bit uneasy about the crowd cheering her on, but that wasn't rather surprising. The cat-calling and the laughing and the shouting and the whistling and just the general pandemonium could make any shy girl like her nervous.

But it was such easy cover for an assassination or two…

Ian sharply looked around and was not pleasantly surprised to find _the_ Sheikah in the shadows, trailing the horse Madame Impa was riding on by foot. That young fellow was a slippery thing, Ian just knew, and he was sure that the Sheikah would do something unpleasant.

Lynda was a good child, and the old man was determined to do his duty.

They reached the platform built for the occasion, and the royal family dismounted. The Queen was not present.

Sheik saw his chance and slipped into the crowd, as the King took his stand and began to address his citizens. He was a strongly built man, tall, lordly. He wore a beard and moustache the same hue as his daughters', although slowly bleaching due to his age. Impressive, but sometimes Sheik wondered whether he was healthy in the head. Honestly. His own dukes and lords not resigning from his court at the consideration of peace between them and the Sheikah? At the proposition of _equality_? Shocking.

He was raving on about the hard choice of giving Lynda over to the Gerudo, that he had been ready to sacrifice even his own flesh and blood for the peace of Hyrule, until his brave wife who sadly wasn't there, made the ultimate charge through a battle-field to save their beloved second daughter.

Sheik rolled his eyes as he scouted the crowd.

Lynda was presented, and she gave a curtsy. Not bad, Sheik mildly thought, before checking up on his informer. Mage Farthin looked pale, probably panicking internally about his ailing magic. No surprise there, since, all the crystals he had no idea he had made were being used all at the same time, draining him of his power. Sheik wondered mildly whether he would end up reverting to his life-force, which would definitely blow their cover… he'd worry about that later. The mage probably deserved it anyway, one way or another.

Zelda was up there with Lynda too, and together they (well, mostly Zelda) explained that the Sheikah weren't all that bad, that they had honour and goods that would make life easy and a knowledge of herbs that encompassed those of the Castle Medics…

Yeah, Sheik thought mildly, feed their greed and they'll change their minds for sure.

He was glad to see that their crystals seemed to be working. He recognised faces of his tribe on the roofs, only because he knew where to look and he knew that their eyes were stained brown. He tried looking for Dacha, but didn't find her. He couldn't help but grin. Smarmy kid, he bet she knew he was watching.

He scanned the faces of the crowd as he neared the platform, Looking at them. All Hylians had magic, even if it was just the tiniest drop. So he could clearly See the Sheikah as blank, magic-less dots in the mist of power, and was satisfied to see that they were all placed in the crowd evenly. Threads of colour flowed from their crystals to Mage Farthin, leaching him of energy to keep their eyes stained mud-like. He was happy to see that he was sweating.

He was in leaping distance. He blinked and everything returned to usual sight, and he deactivated the spell of his own crystal. His eyes turned red, and the people around him shuffled a pace away. He couldn't help but smirk.

Lynda stepped forward to speak of her experience with the Sheikah.

Then everything happened really quickly.

Sheik may have had Sight, but he didn't have Hearing like some Hylians did. Listening to the winds for the weather, or the Goddesses themselves, or getting prophetic dreams was not something Sheikah did by birthright. So he had improvised with a spell that would enhance his hearing when one of his magical wards were broken.

The Sheikah leapt onto the stage, hands a blur. Princess Lynda was bucking backwards away from him and down on her knees as arrows sprouted from his clutches.

There was a tantalising pause so short it was barely there, where people tried to process why a Sheikah would go on stage, and where the arrows had come from…

A stone had plunged into the pond of Hylians, and they began to run away in devastating ripples, screaming, pushing, trampling and destroying everything in their wake, waves and waves of them not noticing the struggles between the planted Sheikah and the assassins that had been beaten to the job. Sheik dived in and rode with the tide, Looking at the arrows he had caught, seeing the shooter's aura. He officially cast all his wards, fusing the assailant's aura into the spell. Pain stabbed at his joints for such a large release of magic but Sheik tried to ignore it and kept riding the tide, slipping into an alley to catch his breath.

He checked the dais and the soldiers had already moved around the royal family, Lynda protesting noticeably about the treatment. The men in metal began to follow the dispersing crowd, helping those who had secured men with weapons, not knowing they were Sheikah.

Sheik glanced upwards and his men on the roofs were flitting in and out of sight, running where he had guessed the arrow had come from. Not good enough. The security hadn't been good enough. He was going to _murder _whoever missed the assassin coming up.

He took three steps and his balance lurched.

Despite the nausea Sheik grinned, letting the pull guide him a few alleys down to the north. His ward had worked; the assassin would be there, trapped by his own aura. People would be there in seconds, but hopefully just Sheikah. The assassin would—theoretically—be caught, in turn be handed to the Royals by the Sheikah, and then they will have their rights, and he, Sheik, would have his freedom.

He scowled. He couldn't lift his hopes up. Not after twenty years of waiting.

He turned the corner and there the ward was, fully intact and prisoner stuck in the magic web. He must have been back-pedalling, making sure he wasn't followed, before being caught. Sheik thought this because he could see the assassin's terrified face, and his posture. He knew that was what this person would do. She was smart in that sense.

"Dacha."

"(Savir! Please, help me, I don't know what this is…)" She struggled frantically, but the magic around her only stiffened. Just like it had said in the book.

"(It's mine.)" He said hollowly, unable to believe what he was seeing, "(Dacha, what is this?)"

Sheik pulled out the arrows he had caught and she froze, paling, frightened out of her mind now. He shifted his Sight, so he could see whether the ghostly auras around the arrows matched his friend's. They did.

"(…Why, Dacha? You were her friend,)" His hands shook. So did his voice. He noticed her eyes pooling, but did not feel merciful.

"(I… It's, you could've, I mean, I…)" she quailed under his enraged glare, and began to blurt out, "(I just wanted you free…)"

"(And you thought this would do it?)" he demanded, making her flinch, "(You _actually_ thought this would help!)"

"(She was using you! She was never going to free you, Savir, not with the way she was…)"

Sheik snorted scornfully, sneering at the excuses. "(Well, if that's the case, I believe you were shooting the wrong Princess. How is _Lynda _going to take my freedom away? Why don't you just admit that you just wanted her _dead_?)"

The tears flowed openly now, pleading, desperate, perhaps even repentant. Sheik doubted it. "(I just wanted-)"

"(Obviously you don't get it.)" Sheik spat angrily, black rage roiling his guts, "(I. don't. care. I don't care about this stupid rebellion, your stupid notions of justice, I don't even care if this whole plan doesn't work or not, just as long as I get out of the stupid castle. Get it? I am _leaving_, as soon as I get the chance.)"

He took a deep breath and hissed, "(And here I was, thinking you were worth inviting.)"

There were footsteps coming towards them. Heavy, fast, furious. From the shouts, they were Sheikah. Tears fell with more ferocity as Dacha thought of what the tribe would think of her, of their disappointment, their resentment…

Sheik sliced the air with his hand, and the ward dissipated, depositing Dacha to the ground. "(Get out of here, and make sure it's Ganesh that's reporting for at least two weeks.)"

She scrambled to her feet and ran, tears of shame and hurt flowing down her face.

* * *

Lynda wished that she didn't have to sit in Zelda's throne.

She squirmed a bit, glancing to the sides. Zelda was sitting on their mother's throne, as if she were already dead. The King didn't mind; he had actually ordered Zelda to sit there. The former Hero of Time found it unnerving.

She fiddled with the arrow that had been meant for her, wondering why somebody would want to murder her. An old servant of Ganondorf? Some freak that likes bloodshed? Or…

Lynda decided that she would find out. She refused to be chased around for no proper reason.

Then the doors to the throne-room banged open. From it soldiers in V-formation marched forward, a group of Sheikah clamped in like meat in a dog's jaw. They were dragging somebody. Sheik looked like they were leading the group.

Before she could stand and ask what had happened, Sheik knelt and cut her off. "Are you unhurt, Princess Lynda?"

The said Princess blinked. Since when did Sheik put a title and her name together? "Um… I'm fine, thanks."

He noticed the arrow he had missed. "I seemed to have failed you."

She shrugged. "Nah, this one wasn't even near hitting me. I just wanted to see if I could do that trick."

The King glowered at her and she decided to shut up. "Well," he growled, "Did my soldiers find this assassin?"

The one that seemed to be the captain made a sour face and flicked his gaze towards Sheik before muttering, "The Sheikah were there first, your Highness,"

"Oh?"

"One of our kind, no less," spat one of them, throwing the traitor down to the floor, "Take her; she is no use to us as a corpse."

The king cocked an eyebrow. "You killed the assassin?"

"Not us. Him." The man looked pointedly at Sheik.

"Was there need of that?" Lynda asked, worry in her tone.

Sheik only shrugged.

Lynda looked at the corpse, biting her lip. She didn't want to be the reason of someone else's murder. It wasn't right. She didn't ask to be a princess anyway. And she was sure that this person hadn't asked to die… hey… that hair… it looked a lot like…

No. No way.

"Who was this?" Zelda demanded, looking stern and cold, "Why would they want to attack my sister?"

"Some of us are worried." The leader of the Sheikah stated, "Some of us think that you want us for profit; as tools. Some of us worry that you will not give us the rights that you promise." He indicated the dead assassin. "This was one of them."

Zelda gave a thoughtful frown and nodded. She turned to her father and said, "They need reassurance."

The King's face reddened, but he did not make an objection. However he seemed to struggle with himself before saying, "Right… then… we shall see to that immediately. No daughter of mine will be threatened by some unnecessary feud while I live."

Zelda was pointedly looking at Sheik, who was smiling smugly. Lynda wondered why.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad that's officially over and done with," Sheik sighed, strolling down the corridor, "Now, all I have is a few more weeks and I'll be a free man."

"Huh?" Lynda asked, cocking her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

Sheik smirked without humour. "I'll just say that I'm not here of my own free will."

"Oh… okay," she flicked her gaze to him just for a second before muttering, "Well, once I'm Link again, how about we go adventuring together? You, me, Navi… and Dacha, if she'd like to come too."

She caught the sudden tenseness at his shoulders at the mentioning of her name. She suddenly felt sick and heavy and in no mood for jokes. "Where is she, Sheik. Is she okay?"

He seemed to struggle before sighing. He did not look at her when he said, "I was chasing the assassin with her. Dacha… she went barraging on and…"

She didn't like the implications. Not at all.

"But she was good! She was awesome with those blades she couldn't've…"

"She got caught in a trap. A rope around her throat. Quick and painless, at least."

Lynda stood there, dumbfounded, unable to believe her ears. "But… but I was going to ask her… I…"

"She knows. They all do. The dead are in the air, Princess. She'll know you'll miss her."

She sniffed and a tear rolled down her cheek. "S'not fair. I was gonna tell her so much stuff… you know, I still got those cakes we made on our last day."

"What cakes?"

Lynda managed a smile. "You don't wanna know."

Sheik gently patted her shoulder, in a way of condolence. She sniffed again before asking, "Will there be a funeral?"

"We don't have them."

"Isn't there anyway that I can say goodbye? Your style?"

"Say it as if she were standing in front of you. It doesn't have to be now; say it when you're ready. After all, the dead are in the air."

Lynda managed another crooked smile. "But I thought dead people went to heaven."

He snorted. "That tells me that Hylians are bonkers, all of them."

Lynda laughed, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Bye, Dash. It was fun knowing you, even for a short time."

She paused for a moment before opening her eyes and looking around. Clearly she had expected something to happen. Even a little gust of wind would've been nice…

Ah. There it was.

"So," Sheik said, "You decided whether you want to be a Princess or not yet?"

Lynda laughed half-heartedly. She'd been planning on asking Dacha for advice. "Yeah, right. I've still got another six weeks till my birthday."

Sheik stopped in his tracks, a little taken aback. "No you don't."

"No I don't what?"

"No, you don't have another six weeks. You're birthday's today. The celebrations will be starting tomorrow."

She froze, her face paling. "You're pulling my leg."

"I'm not."

"But… but you stayed in the forest four days, I was at the Sheikah camp for a week, then I've been here for only a couple of days, I should have another five, six weeks or so, I swear…"

"Oh Din," Sheik muttered, rubbing his temples, "I thought you knew."

"Knew what? Knew what, Sheik! You better tell me now, 'cause I'm not in the mood for twirly-whirly talk. Spit it out. Now."

He sighed and shook his head and shrugged before admitting, "I'm not quite sure what happened, but the thing is, the forest made time go slow, or something like that. I thought you did it to tick me off, or Saria because I upset her through you. Anyway, the four-day stay ended up becoming four weeks."

She grew paler. It looked like she was going to faint. "But… but that means… if today's really my birthday…"

Sheik looked out through the window, where the sun had completely submerged under the horizon, "Five, maybe six hours till midnight. You should check the clock."

* * *

Lynda paced around her room, wringing her hands like mad. She checked the clock again. Just under an hour before midnight. The end of her birthday. The deadline of her decision.

She gave a whimper that was close to a scream, before forcing herself to calm down. Men did not whimper, or scream, or panic. Okay, maybe panic, but definitely not the first two. Breathe, just think it through. Everything would be all…

Oh-dear-goddesses-only-under-an-hour-what-was-she-going-to-do-she-was-going-to-kill-Saria-for-quickening-time-she…

Must. Calm. Down.

Lynda took a deep breath that sounded a lot like a wheeze before consulting the List.

'Pros and cons of Men and Women' she'd written, in bold letters with arrows sticking in the 'o's, swords clashing on the ends of the bubble title, ropes dangling from the 's's and little stick men fighting moblins on the letters.

She wished she hadn't wasted time on it.

Under 'men', there was plenty of stuff. Pros, cons, the whole heap. Under the women, it was a total blank.

Lynda couldn't believe herself. A total, complete blank. After nearly two weeks of being a woman, that was all she had? Nothing? Surely she had something bad or good or in between to comment about? Something, anything, so she could sort things out!

But maybe… maybe it was a sign (not that she believed in 'signs'). Maybe there was nothing under the Women's list because she didn't need to know anything. Just be male. It would be so much easier. Go adventuring and do whatever you want and meet new people and go to different places and Navi could come with you and so could Sheik…

Yes, that would be much, much easier.

She looked at the vanity-table where her hat lay, and all her other stuff from her adventures. The masks, the hook-shot, her bow, slingshot, even the sword the Sheikah had given her as a gift… boy, it'd been real hard hiding those from Mistress Sarren.

Smiling fondly to her clothes, she began to slip off her accursed nightgown, grabbing her tunic and undershirt at the same time.

* * *

Ian had been into his shift three minutes when he got a nasty shock.

He'd looked away only for a second. Heck, even shorter than that. But when he turned around there he was, the boy with the scarf sitting on the floor leaning against the Princess's door as if he owned it.

"What… what are you doing here?" he sputtered, his heart racing like a like a frightened bird's. The Sheikah boy had that effect on people. Especially in the middle of the night.

"Waiting," he muttered, pointing at the door, "For the person inside to tell me who the heck they're going to be by the end of tonight."

Ian was going to tell him how ridiculous he sounded when there was a knock from the said door. "Ian? Um… is Sheik there too?"

"I'm here," he said, standing immediately. The door opened, and Lynda came through, wearing her tunic and leggings, the white undershirt, her bundle of things in a sack. Her hand held her hat, and Sheik found his heart sinking. "You're turning?"

She gulped, looking at him with confused, frightened eyes. "I'm still not sure. I mean, I-I was before but then I kept remembering the promise I made to you and the chief and Dacha and the maids that were nice to me and all the hard work Zelda put into the treaty and making friends with Ian and-"

"You're blabbing. And…" he made to touch her wet cheeks, but decided against it. "If you made a Marking of Faith, I can withdraw it. You've fulfilled your promise, as fully as you could've done. There's nothing wrong in leaving all of this behind."

"But it seems so _unfair_," she sobbed, "You worked so hard and then I throw it away…"

"I don't see what could be more unfair than being forced to remember everything you went through the last… twenty three years, if you want the technicalities."

She let out a watery chuckle. Ian Mayne looked thoroughly confused.

"You need a break," Sheik added honestly, "Now all it depends on is whether you think you'll get one being a Princess or a Hero."

She sniffed again as she mulled it over. She looked at what she was wearing, then at Sheik, and then at the hat that would change the rest of her life, if she'd let it.

Lynda held it to her chest, sniffing loudly. "I know more about being Link. I know what to do, how to act, and I miss Navi."

_Bong_…

"I'll have lots of freedom out there, and I'll be able to see new places."

_Bong…_

"I'll wear what I want, do what I want, and nobody would give a damn."

_Bong_…

"But…"

_Bong…_

"I don't know what it's like to be what I was born to be: a girl."

_Bong_…

"Sheik?"

"Hm?"

_Bong…_

"What would make a better difference to Hyrule? Me running around being a Hero,"

_Bong…_

"Or me being a Princess?"

He hesitated before saying, "Do what you want, Lynda. Not what you think you should do."

_Bong…_

"You'll be here for a while, won't you?" she persisted, and he nodded.

_Bong_…

"I guess,"

"Then you'll help me, right? Just like you promised?"

_Bong_…

He nodded again. "Of course."

_Bong…_

Lynda managed a smile. "Just don't call me 'Princess,' okay?"

_Bong…_

The final note of the clock gave way to silence with a finishing air, leaving Lynda drained and somehow lost and alone. She looked down on her hat before tentatively putting it on, and when she raised her hands they were just the same as before. Female.

Sheik suddenly pushed something into her hands, careful with his words. "The publicity hasn't blown over yet, I know, but I thought you might've wanted them."

"What…?" At first it looked like a just a bundle of stiff junk, but then she realised that they were her boots, only fixed. Horrendously done with thick cord, but sturdy, even a little decorative.

The scuffed soles had been polished as much as they could be, the knee high leather that had been chopped off was replaced by again, leather, but better quality. Not the best, but enough to be like her old ones but a little more supple, comfortable, as if she'd already worn it for a while. There were holes punched into the new leather, and thick cords criss-crossed the gap, making them lace-ups.

Tears began to leak from her eyes in uncontrollable torrents as she hugged her old and new boots, having survived through their tenth operation back to life.

Sheik patted her on the head.

"Thank you," they both said.

* * *

**Hey guys! Look, I'm really really really sorry this update took so long, okay? I really really am. Thank you all for reading, so do me a favor and comment. If you want to yell at me for being so late, do so. Just please, please say soething to me...**

**Especially those who have me on alerts!**


	11. Adjusting

**Hello Readers! Look, I'm really sorry I hadn't updated for over a month, okay? And the false alarm I gave you guys two or three days ago. I'm really, really sorry. My plot bunny refused to hop my way, and school has been a reall hassle. But I'm getting better I swear! Not good, but better! And the chapter lengths are vecoming reasonable! Huzzuh!**

**I'm sorry WactherandReader, I know you're supposed to Beta this first, and I do agree on that, but I just got so impatient... I don't want to be abandoned either by readers, reviewers, or even my baby story! I'm sorry, I really am!**

**Please read. And review. A review would be very, very nice...**

**And thank you to those who have added me on their favourites and alerts! Yayzuz!**

* * *

_Adjusting_

"(Dacha would be alive if it weren't for you,)" Ganesh snarled, straining against invisible bonds as he struggled to get off of his knees. He stared hatefully at a figure that sat leisurely on a chair, flicking the pages of a history book.

Savir frowned into his book, looking mildly displeased. "(You sneak from camp, run across Hyrule Field, storm the castle and barge into my room just to tell me that. Din, you are really, really stupid. I wasn't the one who killed her, unless you've forgotten.)"

"(You might as well have been!)" The brunette snapped, his hands balled into tight fists, "(Whatever you said to her tore her apart, you bastard! Why else would she… would she… Why the hell would she do that?)"

"(Oh don't tell me you cared for her,)" Sheik groaned, rolling his eyes as he snapped the book closed, "(Because you weren't very high in Dacha's opinion. Always begging for a fight, rude, obnoxious, arrogant…)"

"(Maybe,)" he snarled back, face contorted in rage, "(But I'll never be as slimy a weasel as you.)"

The insulted Sheikah gave a tolerant smile. He stood and stalked over to the freckled boy, the epitome of darkness and confidence. "(Perhaps. But I'm not stupid enough to actually show it, or ignorant enough to talk back to someone that has me under complete, magical control.)"

He kneeled in front of his intruder, cocking his head to the side questioningly. "(Did you know that I could kill you, here and now? All the favours that I owe you, all the torment you put me through… I can pay all them back, just like that. What's more, nobody would know what happened. You'll simply disappear.)"

Sheik allowed a pause where Ganesh turned pale. He smiled at his distressed enemy coldly. "(My, my, I can see you're sweating. Feeling uncomfortable?"

Ganesh struggled even harder, frightened of the childhood adversary that he had thought till then he could take on without breaking a sweat. But the invisible bonds on his wrists would not budge, and the air around him seemed to get heaver and heavier. "(How are you doing this? Since when did you have so much power?)"

Savir grinned smugly. "(Since the day the powers of the Royal Blood finally united, and a man named Ganondorf _officially_ got imprisoned, mate. Not that you'd know him. You died in his first raid.)"

Before Ganesh blacked out, he saw a triangular light burn on the back of Savir's right hand.

* * *

About two, maybe three weeks after the coronation of Princess Lynda and the Peace treaties between the Sheikah and the Hylians, the castle guards got a rather nasty shock.

They were minding their business, really, the pages getting their equipment sorted, the knights sharing friendly insults, preparing the squires for training, having friendly spars with their comrades. Just an average morning during mid-dawn, where seemingly nothing could go wrong.

Until somebody tumbled over the fencing, that is.

The entity had been halfway over when somebody had noticed him. He wore an old green tunic and a scarf around his face and hair, obscuring everything except a pair of attentive mud-red eyes that looked somehow fake. He wore boots that looked like they were made out of mismatched leather, a ring of sewing etched around the ankles.

He held a sword with him.

That was what made the soldier who'd spotted this person shout a warning.

"Shoot," the entity replied, scrambling on the lip of the fence. Archers readied their bows and knocked arrows. The entity was up and running.

They gawked at his agility and balance and skill, unable to believe that a solid person could run over a pencil thick planks _that_ easily.

But then he jumped and rolled in the air and landed into the courtyard, breaking their trance.

"Hi."

They fired.

Yelping he rolled away and continued on his path, unsheathing his sword and throwing the sheath away. The soldiers mauled him with brave yells and curses.

The youngster dodged the first tackling and leapt over the second. The third's angry pike was deflected easily with the back of a hand and a sword was parried with his own. He yelled as a ball and chain swung above his head, and he swore in an unknown language. He dived into the crowd of men to avoid the arrows, scrambling up shields and armour in order to stay away from weapons, causing a laud ruckus to fill the entire courtyard. He was through and was running again. He knew how to run, this thing, faster than a dragonfly and deft as a craftsman. He dodged arrows again and again, sometimes wiping them with his sword, or plucking them from the air as they sailed by.

When the ball and chain returned, he froze up and ran again.

Then someone caught him by the scruff of his shirt.

"Gerroff!" The youngster tried driving the sword's pommel into the captor's stomach. Next thing he knew he was on the ground with the said blade pricking a hole on the back of his neck. Not enough to cause bloodshed, but still. Quite uncomfortable.

"Errgh…" being defeated in front of an audience was not a pleasant experience.

"What in the name of all the goddesses are you _doing here_!"

The youngster froze at the familiar voice. "Erm…"

"You could've been murdered on sight!" the voice spat, black rage in his tone.

"I was bored!" the youngster snapped back as the disapproving soldiers gathered,

"_You were-"_

"What do you _expect_!" the youngster rolled and kicked with both his feet, striking the flat of the sword just above the hilt, sending it into the air. He rolled and caught it by the handle, and red eyes glowered at each other. The younger one lunged into attack, and seemingly out of nowhere the older Sheikah brought out a thin blade, and they clashed.

The soldiers could almost taste the bitterness in the air as the boy in the green tunic punctuated painful words with his blows of steel.

"I've been _trapped_ in my room for this whole time listening to _stupid_ people talking about my lack of knowing of the world and _ordered_ around about the way I act around this place and they wouldn't even let me _eat_ and everybody, _everybody _has been treating me differently since I agreed to this! My apparent _sister_ doesn't talk to me my mother _disgusts_ me _I_ disgust my father and you, _you are never around_! You bloody _promised_ and you're not even _trying_!"

It was hard to tell whether the boy was talking about his experiences or the sword fight at hand, because indeed, Sheik wasn't trying. He either just blocked the blows or simply stepped aside from the stabs and lunges, calm as Lake Hylia while his opponent raged like a storm. Metal sang against metal as the two danced around each other, one wild, one collected, both glaring at each other impatiently.

A foot lashed out and glanced against a shoulder. The younger one toppled over with a hiss, clutching the said shoulder as it stung. It was only a graze, but it hurt.

"Get out," Sheik said, but to the crowd around them. "Before I wipe the floor with the rest of you."

The soldiers suppressed their rage at being ordered around by a Sheikah before leaving, muscles tense. He was of higher rank now. He had the right to order them around, but it did not make the job easy for the soldiers who'd just gotten their normal morning ruined.

Sheik crouched beside the disguised 'boy', who was suppressing tears of pain and shame. "Princess…"

"I told you not to call me that!" she snapped behind the scarf, rage and hurt evident in her tone.

Sheik paused before continuing, "What do you mean they won't let you eat?"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"You promised! You promised to look after me, you did that whole fricken speech on guiding me and all that crap and you haven't done it! And there is _nobody_ to talk to. _Nobody_. The maids try to talk to me about jewellery Mistress Sarren thinks I'm nuts I don't have Navi I don't have any clue what I'm supposed to do I miss Dacha I… I can't do this."

Sheik sat down and wondered whether it was a good idea holding her hand. Probably not. "Why?"

She seemed to struggle with herself before confiding, "These people are the first I've talked to since… since such a long time… I'm surrounded by people but it's like they're afraid to talk to me because of that coronation."

Sheik blinked slowly, cocking his head to the side, "You're telling me you feel lonely."

Lynda huffed and crossed her legs, looking away sulkily. "It's rich coming from a self-exiled Hero of Time, I know, shut up, I'm not in the mood."

Sheik fought a smile that tried to sneak onto his face, glad again for his cowl. "I've found that ranting helps."

Lynda's gaze flicked his way before letting it rip. She ranted on and on about Mistress Sarren especially, due to the fact that it was her that had ordered most of her tortures. Lynda went on and on and on about how Mistress Sarren had proclaimed that she was a little too fat so she had to cut down on the food but she had to eat meat because that was what wealth was all about, eating meat because poorer people couldn't afford it but Lynda didn't _like_ meat, sure fish and chicken were good but cows were innocent unlike cuccos since they weren't the ones that attacked people unprovoked and gods, she had been forced to wear heels everyday, and it was agony because her ankles had blisters and she had never, ever, _ever_ had suffered from blisters until then and it was such relief wearing boots, oh, thanks for fixing them by the way they feel like heaven, how the talk with the dying queen the other day had made everything else seem nigh intolerable because again she had gone on and on about being rich and jewels and all that crap. Lynda also mentioned about how the King kept making comments around her that made her want to wring his _neck_ because it was his fault that she'd been raised the ways she had been raised and she was perfectly happy with the way she had been brought up, he had no right to discuss her childhood because it was him that sent her away anyway and how Zelda wouldn't talk to her because of the mistake she'd made and it was pretty reasonable since she'd been pretty sure that Link was a guy and not her sister (at this point Lynda realised that Zelda had in fact fallen in love with a sibling unknowingly) but screw it because it wasn't like Lynda liked Zelda much anyway.

At the end of it Sheik was on the ground laughing. The wild hand gestures Lynda had used had helped in breaking him down.

"Stop laughing!"

Sheik ignored her and laughed a tad harder before subsiding. "Alright, now, am I allowed to defend my actions at leaving you alone?"

"And the ball! You said the celebrations would already start the next day after my birthday but it hasn't happened yet! You lied to me."

"If you got the wrong impression on that, I'm sorry. I meant the preparations."

"You know how much it hurts to wear corsets?"

"No, and I'm glad not to. Now, being your guide, I miscalculated; I didn't expect the King to be so generous in giving away titles. I was hoping he'd be a prick and just put me as your bodyguard, but I've been landed with the title of Royal Advisor."

Lynda blinked. "Wow."

Sheik smiled. "So, technically it's not my fault I can't guide you. But, since I do owe you an apology, how about we entertain ourselves?"

"Yeah… but how?"

He gave her a flat look at her suspicion. "We both have weapons in hand. Need I say more?"

Lynda hurriedly scrambled to her feet, eagerly positioning herself in a battle stance. Sheik scoffed. "Your hands are slightly crooked, your feet are… mildly acceptable, and why are you leaning to the left?"

And the long lesson began. Sheik made her change her position, and drilled her in some stabs, swings, especially blocks. He reckoned that she relied too much on her shield (hence the leaning in to the left) and the self learning had put her into bad habits. And he drilled her on attitude.

"You've got to be kidding; I have perfect attitude, thank you very much!"

"I'm inclined to disagree," her replied, as he tapped her wrist to remind her of her grip, "Tell me if I'm wrong, but have you ever fought anything that isn't a monster? Aside from me, that is."

Lynda puffed up proudly as she changed the grip and swung the sword in a clean arc. "I've fought the Gerudo, and they thought I was pretty good."

"You're a fast learner," the Sheikah admitted, as he circled around her, "But when you fought them, did you ever have to worry about their life?"

"…Pardon?" Lynda had completely dropped her stance and sword arm, insulted at his comment.

Sheik raised his arms in gesture of peace. "I'm assuming they fought you and you them with wooden swords for safety's sake." She nodded, "Ah, thought so. So, I'm again assuming I'm right when I say, when you fought me in the temple with the swords you conjured up, it was the first time you sparred with a living being with real swords."

"So?"

"So before then, you never had to worry about hurting anybody seriously."

She shuffled her feet anxiously before saying, "I guess so…"

"Here comes the attitude problem; monsters don't speak."

"Yeah I know tha-"

"Monsters do not jibe, tease, or joke with you when you're fighting. However, _I_ would. If I told you right now, that you suck at sword-fighting, what would you do?"

She pretended to think it over before giving a pleasant smile. "Stab you in the face, I guess."

Sheik nodded tolerantly, unfazed by the threat, "Exactly. That's the attitude problem. You only know how to kill, and even with the greatest skill that can be a really sticky trait, if you see what I mean."

"I guess…"

"So, here's the deal. Your homework is to get to know people and try not to get words under your skin. Once you've done that, I'll teach you how to disarm. Dismissed."

Lynda blinked before saying uncertainly, "What… that's it?"

Sheik nodded resolutely. "Yes. That's it."

"You suck as a mentor."

"Deal with it."

* * *

The door slammed shut, and the maids looked up.

It had been really busy these last couple of weeks, working towards the highness's birthdays. It had been hard enough with one Princess, but now two? That meant extra plates, extra guests, extra food, extra cooking, cleaning, butchering, baking, rinsing, hammering, oh, it was such hard work…

Now a Sheikah had to get involved in the mess. And what a horrible green tunic…

"The King trains?" it hissed, red eyes that somehow looked fake wild with indignation, "_The_ King _trains_?"

The maidservants looked upon the Sheikah suspiciously. "Something wrong?" one of them said.

"It's completely and utterly wrong! He never showed up for the last three weeks! How am I supposed to train when _he's _around?"

Then the Sheikah seemed to realise what he had said and stuttered, "Uh… just for the record, I'm allowed to be in the castle. Actually I have to be in the castle because I'm uh you see the Princess knows me and she said I could hang about if I wanted but the King doesn't know so I have to stay out of his sight and… is there anything I can do?"

The last bit was blurted out forcefully, and the Sheikah shuffled his feet nervously for a reply.

"What?" a nearby maid blurted back,

"You know, work," the Sheikah mumbled behind his scarf, his gaze flitting from face to floor on several occasions, "Since I… well… I just thought I might as well be useful, because usually I… you know, train with the guys but since the King's there I can't do anything and I've got a couple of hours free now so… how about it? Please?"

They watched him sceptically. "We don't take males."

"I'm not," the Sheikah hastily unwrapped part of her turban to reveal a gently tanned face that clearly belonged to a girl. The maids bristled.

"Then what, are you doing wielding a sword, young lady?"

Lynda briefly thought of murdering Sheik for doing this to her because the hostility didn't seem worth it. "Well, I, I ur, I was raised as a boy, honest. My father thought it'd be better for me because I was apparently in deep, uh, yeah, trouble. Anyway he was kind of right because yeah, my life involved lots of protection… ahaha… you don't believe a single word I'm saying, do you."

There was a silence as the whole kitchen stared at her. Lynda sighed.

"Okay, I'll go. Sorry for bothering you."

The door shut behind her.

Lynda leaned against the said door and sighed again, scraping her nails idly through the grains of the wood. Friends, who needed 'em? She had plenty already, she doesn't have to make friends with _them_. Lynda bet that all of them would've been falling over themselves to talk to her if they knew it was the Princess, no, the _Hero of Time_ that was assisting help. But no, the Sheikah couldn't be trusted could they? No wonder Sheik never took off that cowl or socialized; there was no point in it whatsoever. Besides, she'd been living in solitude for the last how many years? She could handle loneliness…

"Hey?"

Lynda turned. There she found a girl maybe a year or two older than her, with brown hair and swampy eyes, holding a broomstick out to her. The maid's face was smiling.

"My name's Pell, and word of advice: wear a skirt when you come next time. I think you disappointed some of them for not being a boy."

Lynda started dubiously. "… Do you read minds?"

Pell laughed. "No, and I wouldn't even want to if I got the chance; minds can be so creepy sometimes."

"But it could be useful, like, there was this guy that really puzzled me. He tried to take over the world and he was completely and utterly _nuts_."

"What kind of nut?" Pell asked as she handed Lynda the broom, "Peanut, walnut…?"

"A nut salad, definitely."

Pell grinned lopsidedly. "Do you even like nuts?"

"No, not really," Lynda replied, shaking her head wryly,

"Wait, what was your name again?"

"Oh, yeah…" Lynda wondered briefly about it before shrugging. "Everybody used to call me Link."

Pell smiled again and said, "Alright, _Link_, what possessed you to come to the kitchens?"

Lynda stabbed the floor with the broom irritably. "Because a different stupid nut told me to get some friends because I'm a loner and it's 'very important' to get used to talking or else he won't teach me some moves. Not that he's my only teacher. I've made good friends with some of the knights. And uh… they don't know that I'm a girl. Don't tell?"

"Of course! What are friends for?"

Sheik, who was leaning on the wall around the corner, smiled almost proudly.

"Hey Link, the other nut that you just mentioned, what kind of nut is he?"

"A deku nut. Really hard and tastes really bad."

Sheik scowled.

* * *

**Okay, I'm going to have to agree that nothing really happened in this chapter, so here's the deal: the more reviews, thefaster the next chapter will come. Yes, I know, it's a very lame bargain, but it's going to be easter so I'll have plenty of time to write stuff and hopefully the block of the writers would shift, or I'll break it to pieces. Hopefully.**

**Please review. I feel depressed because I lost my glasses.**


	12. The Visiting Past

**Hi everybody! For once my update wasn't so late! Woot! And these are review replies for people who have reviewed to me because sometimes I forget to reply and sometimes I do and it's not fair that I hadn't so here it is!**

**And these people deserve some appreciation.**

**_Louiii_: I'm glad you liked the conversation. It was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend of mine, only it involved less crazy people. I like Pell. There won't be much building on the relationship on this chapter, but there'll definitely be some developing in the next chapter. Thanks for your support!**

**_Suethe_: I'm glad you really liked it. I had to mix in some Hyrule element into the conversation, which really worked. I found my glasses! They were in the common room. TT Reviewing is good. Please do so. XD. Thanks!**

**_Grogert331_: Thank you for your sympathy! I found them! **

**_Herooftimes_: Yeah, the whole Princess thing is definitely not a happy ending. It might be in the end, but just not now. It has to get worse. Poor Lynda XP. Yeah... I never really thought about Lynda's shadow's gender. I'm guessing it's female. I bet Navi and Lynda stressed out real bad that Ganondorf knew about her gender... ahaha. Hm, this could very well be a good idea for a sequal... mind if I use it?**

**Thank you, carry on.**

* * *

**_The Past haunts _**

"Presenting their Royal Majesties, Princess Zelda and Princess Lynda!"

Lynda squirmed one last time in her dress before the door opened up on them both. Sheik watched them from his corner, keeping to the shadows.

Zelda wore a pink gown sprinkled with sand-like amber and rhinestones, an intricate pattern of small butterflies and five-petal flowers fanning down from the bodice. A large circlet hugged her head, diamonds and pink rubies encircled in gold gracing her forehead.

Lynda's modest dress was a mixture of lemon and lime, leaves and vines in rich green snaking up from the hem of her dress to crawl up to her bodice, speckled with the occasional amber and emerald. Her circlet was a simple chain of gold with silver hued pearls, tapping her forehead like iced raindrops.

She was beautiful, Sheik realised. But somehow, he couldn't care.

Finally they reached the throne. They bowed to their King, their father, before sitting in their thrones, Zelda sitting in her Mother's, Lynda sitting on what used to be Zelda's seat. She pretended to get comfortable, when she was just shuffling nervously.

"Lords and Ladies of Hyrule," the King roared, "I welcome you to celebrate my younger daughter's return, my elder daughter's achievements towards peace, and together their birthdays this day. Now, before we begin, I would like to invite our guests of the West to join our celebrations."

Guests of the West? Lynda wondered, did they mean Calatians, or…?

The giant doors opened again, and olive skinned men in copper breastplates and helms and leather armour marched in, jewelled pikes held high, stamping on Lynda's disappointment with their bare feet.

But then they parted to allow in other people, again olive skinned, wearing shoes with curled toes, loose trousers the hue of sunsets, shirts that hugged their lithe forms, simply drowning in specks of jewels and pretty stones, and from gold helmets fashioned after leevers—in effect making them look like crowns—spilled hair that reminded Lynda of everything between fire, flowers, and crimson sunsets. She recognised them. Knew them.

She squealed.

Completely oblivious to the scandalised looks of horror, the younger Princess bounded from her throne to run to the guests, laughing. Half way there, she tripped on her cursed dress. The guards of the Western Queen rushed forward and grabbed her. Lynda breathlessly looked at the face of her capturers, and squealed again. "Neesha! Sarai!"

The white crowd looked upon the scene with gaping mouths as the other guards rushed the younger Princess, whooping, laughing, hugging and calling each other by name. The Queen herself stood absolutely still, her arms crossed over her generous chest and leaning more on her left leg. Sheik snorted in amusement.

"How ya been kid?"

"Can't believe you remember all our names, kid!"

"Of course I remember! What dfo you think I am: an ungrateful lout?" Lynda huffed before finally noticing that the Queen herself had not joined the reunion. The Princess cocked a devious eyebrow. "And uh… who're you again?"

"Oh thank Din, so I wasn't the only one who didn't recall a Hylian in our midst."

Lynda stepped up and was about to kneel, but remembering her dress she just made a low bow. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you these years like I promised, Nabooru. I…"

"Had some problems. Yeah, Saria said something about them." She rolled her eyes and gestured as if to wave it off, "You have my Royal forgiveness."

Lynda grinned shamelessly. "And you have my Royal Thanks."

Nabooru threw her head back and laughed. By then her guards and her ladies were back in position, and she finally addressed the King. "You have a delightful daughter, King Jerold. I believe this is the best welcome we Gerudo have gotten from your Court since our alliance. We thank you."

Nabooru outstretched her hands and bowed, and King Jerold gave a disgruntled huff.

* * *

Sheik was surprised when Zelda asked for him. He had expected the call earlier, if not a little later.

Hoping he hadn't done anything to blow his cover, Sheik stepped into Zelda's personal study. It was a simple room with only a small adjoining library, which held books mostly on history. Zelda sat at the ornate table, where several ink pots, papers, and quills were neatly assembled. He closed the door without her asking him to.

"Good morning Sheik," she greeted, and Sheik gave a curt bow of the head. He was masked again, and wearing a purple tunic.

"Yes, Princess?"

"I was hoping you could tell me why Mage Farrand fell ill soon after the procession from casting too much magic, despite him not performing any spells at that time."

Ah. So she had noticed that.

"I also would like to know why some of the Lords that frequently visit have hazy memories about certain times of the day, say, just as soon as they enter their room for the night, or just before or after they have a conference with my father."

Damn.

"And perhaps, you could assist me in figuring out why other Lords are reluctant to go against the Sheikah, despite their great influence and dislike toward your people?"

Damn, damn, _damn_.

Sheik shrugged. "Haven't a clue, your Highness."

Zelda glared dangerously. "I would also like to enquire upon the amount of magic released at Lynda's assassination attempt. The power cast was greater than the best Mage in the entire castle by a mile. And I also do not appreciate my father being manipulated magically, no matter how good the cause."

Sheik looked levelly at her, and he said quietly, almost innocently mocking, "My, that's problematic. Have you gotten a confession from the Magician?"

Zelda's tone grew sharp and icy. "I have allowed you to do what you pleased, Sheik, because ultimately that was what I wanted also. It saved me time and energy, it let me study what I needed to learn in order to rule this country fairly, and it benefited us both. But the servants are starting to notice that you are stepping out of your shadows, Sheik. My father is being doubted for his choices towards you; Kings do not usually elevate ranks of _courtesans_."

Sheik twitched visibly and glared. "You _just_ had to remind me, didn't you."

"I am only warning you of the danger you have put yourself in."

"I can easily get out of it, thank you."

"Not when even the sages are suspicious of you, Sheik."

"Alright, first," he growled, massaging his forehead irritably, "Do me a favour and stop repeating that accursed name. Second, your subtlety astounds me. If you really believe that I'm a threat to you and your precious little underlings, you're going to need proof. But what do you have? Hm… let me see… _nothing_."

Zelda didn't miss his smug undertone.

"And what's more, Princess, perhaps it's time for me to leave my shadows, as you so poetically put it. Because, you know what? You can't stop me."

Zelda gave him a steely gaze before nodding his dismissal. "You will be stopped, Sheik, if the need arises."

"So long then, _Princess_," he spat, before closing the door behind him.

Sheik walked to his room, promptly slammed the door, cast quite a crude shielding charm before savagely giving the wall a right hook.

It made his knuckles crack and throb and bleed.

He didn't need this. He didn't need Zelda on top of him with all of the sages in tow. Not when he was so damn close to his goal. Not when he was having so much trouble controlling his damned emotions.

Sheik began to knock his head into the wall repeatedly.

Stupid, the word rang in his head with every knock. Stupid, for being so open, stupid, for letting his heart thaw, stupid, to let that smile tug at him, stupid, for wanting more, stupid, letting himself think that for one, tiny, _stupid_ moment she had actually wanted his stupid company and only his. No only that, he'd been totally stupidly _stupid_ and bragged about his power. To the stupid Seventh Sage, no less. He might as well have just stupidly confessed he had some serious tricks up his stupid sleeve.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Goddesses, he would give anything to be back in that mindless state, where he didn't simply _care_ about anything. About what he did, how he did it, who he hurt, who he manipulated, just not _care_ as long as he got what he wanted no matter what the cost.

He had been like that, and it had been so easy, so, so, _easy_…

He hated it. He hated feeling so weak, so stupid, so, so… he was _sick_ of being a puppet to the Royal family. The King had taken his freedom, the Queen had taken his body, Zelda had taken his identity, and now… Lynda was taking something he had been sure he had lost to death.

He _refused_ to give it to her.

* * *

The other day Ruto had visited, and after that Darunia had come along, and those two days had been the best spent since Lynda had come to the castle. Since the Kokiri could not come to the balls, and the Sheikah were still not on completely friendly terms, there was no friend that could come but was uninvited.

Lynda had walked around aimlessly when she noticed a girl with auburn hair, looking as lost as herself. Blue eyes widened when they saw each other.

"Malon…!"

"Um… uh…"

"_Malon_!"

The farm girl had found herself with an armful of tearful Lynda begging forgiveness.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Lynda asked again, reminding herself to gather the damn skirts before running to catch up to her friend, lest she wanted to trip up.

The red eye he didn't hide looked bored. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I asked Zelda and she said she had nothing to do with it. And she didn't know Malon. You did, but she didn't. So it had to be you… right?"

"And what if it was, Princess?" Sheik muttered, hoping to get the conversation over and done with before he was tempted to do something unpleasant to her in ways of seeking revenge. And then he noticed that shadowed corridor…

An involuntary shiver crossed his spine.

"I wanted to thank you." She said, grasping his hand. He jolted. "What's wrong?"

He swallowed, hoping his hands weren't shaking. What _was_ wrong? He had never been this… this _nauseous_ for years. He thought again of the ball and the implications it held, if he were to return to his old post, if Zelda really intended to go through with her threat…

The feeling returned.

"I'm surprised you're willing to have physical contact, that's all," he smoothly lied, hoping to get his old posture back. Lynda hastily let his hand go as if burnt.

"I guess I'm getting used to it, after everything… you've helped."

"I have?"

She chuckled bashfully. "I wouldn't've come this far without your help. That is, if you really did invite Nabooru and Ruto and Darunia and Malon…"

Sheik tried to deny it, but he found himself realising that he could use her trust as a means of escape if he ever needed it, that he could use this friendship as a back up… after all, she was the Princess and the Hero of Time to boot; her loyalty would be very useful, especially because she was so naïve… besides, she was just a pawn to him, right? "I did."

Delight lit her face with sunshine, making his chest twinge. "Thank you, Sheik. Thank you so, _so_ much." She said earnestly, what seemed like relief seeping into her expression before regret crept in, "I… I have to get going, now… um… see you at the ball?"

Sheik held back the urge to sound cynical, "I highly doubt it, Princess."

"No surprise guests?"

Sheik scoffed. "You have Zelda."

"She likes to talk to people twice her age. I don't like to talk at all, if necessary," she joked half-heartedly before taking a turn that would take her to the large doors, looking back one last time before turning another corner.

Sheik took the other bend to get away as quickly as possible.

* * *

The guests couldn't help but keep turning to look at the strange Princess in question, as she shied away to a tapestry wall, leaving the pleasantries to her more absorbed sister. She was wearing gold and silver daisies fixed with a blue satin ribbon in her hair, a silver blue gown that had been a gift from the Zoras, adorned only with pale crystal shards. A copper choker decked with carvings and intricately shaped marble hugged her neck, the gift of the Gerudo. She was also wearing a simple belt of gold, complete with an elegant sword in a silver and purple sheath; the gift from the Gorons.

But still nervous with crowds she stayed at the edge of the ball room, watching the dancers as if they were butterflies.

"Good evening, your Highness."

She jolted. A man perhaps her age, slightly older, was bowing to her. When he rose Lynda saw that his face was freckled, his hair brown as the earth, accompanied with eyes as deep green as her old home. He wore a simple tunic of red and brown made of Gerudo silk, an eagle brooch of gold and all manner of jewels decked on his chest. He had a general softness that reminded her of the Kokiri.

Lynda bowed. "Hello."

He smiled. "I see you're the princess everybody's been talking about."

Lynda wondered what he meant by that and remembered that she was supposed to curtsy. She slapped a hand to her forehead and muttered, "…Damn it."

He laughed good-naturedly, waving it off. "Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Garth Polnuc; my father's a High Merchant of South Calatia. He sometimes works with the Gerudo."

"Pleasure," she said, extending her hand just like Mistress Sarren had told her to. But then she realised her hands were gloved, and nobody would want to kiss cloth would they, so she should probably turn it into a handshake but would that be ladylike? Her hand wavered between the positions while she made intelligent noises, wishing she could sink through the floor.

Garth caught her hand with an understanding smile. "You're Princess Lynda, no?"

"I'm Lynda, yes, but I don't think I qualify much as being a Princess."

"Care to dance?" he suddenly asked, extending a hand to her.

She suddenly looked panicked. "I shouldn't. You don't understand I can hardly walk in these shoes I'll, I think I might sever your toes or something in these, I'm so, so bad…"

Garth laughed, and insisted. Shyly Lynda took his hand, muttering that he was going to regret it. He accepted it as a challenge, making her chuckle.

They caught many eyes as they spun into the crowd of dancers, blue dress shimmering, silver sword gleaming. True to her words Lynda danced a little clumsily, but carefully placed feet and quick reflexes proved effective in not stepping on Garth's toes.

The couple talked of Calatian trade, of the Kokiri, of the Gorons, and the Zora, after song after song until their feet hurt. They talked over hobbies, over sword-fighting, and Lynda was pleased that he wasn't discriminating over gender when it came to that topic.

"You know," he said as they returned to the outer edge of the ballroom, holding goblets of drink (Lynda had asked for honeyed water instead of wine) "What I don't understand most about this country is the Gerudo."

"Oh?" Lynda asked, looking surprised.

"Think about it though." Garth said, sounding argumentative, "They have a King once every One Hundred years, yet they threw him off the throne into his fourteenth year of rule. Why?"

"Simple: he was bad."

"You said you were a messenger for him a couple of minutes ago,"

"I was tricked into it." She said irritably, "I'd reverse the favour if I could, trust me."

"That bad?"

"Take over Hyrule bad. Now Nabooru, _she_ is a Queen."

He nodded interestedly. "But how is it possible that no male is born in those One Hundred years? I find that so puzzling…"

"Again, simple: Magic. Everywhere has a magic of its own, like, the Forest where I came from has a knack for making people lose themselves, and keep Kokiri young. The Zora's fountain, its magic has to do with life and purity, or how else would the water stay clean all the way to Lake Hylia? I don't know much about Death Mountain's magic, but I think it's the rocks. You know how Goron's only eat rocks? The thing is, they can't eat any rock. I think the magic has to do with that, and its mountain core. It's… I was rambling. Sorry."

"No, no need!" he exclaimed, "I was enjoying the talk, you know."

Lynda chuckled nervously, hot and bothered under his intent gaze, "Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's what's going on. But don't take it all for truth, because I'm not entirely sure."

"I see." He nodded, a satisfied grin on his face, "But even so, I admire you for your knowledge; I haven't had a good conversation with anybody for ages."

"Oh shut it." She grumbled with a smile, shuffling her feet.

"And so, Princess Lynda, I would like to ask you something: Do you think you could tell me what this Gerudo silk is made out of? It's another thing that's been puzzling me."

She paused. "Um… have you ever heard of Like-likes?"

"No, I haven't."

"They're creatures that eat people whole. If you're lucky they spit you out, but you end up leaving behind equipment like spare tunics, provisions, shields…"

"You're telling me this because…?"

She grinned. "You're wearing its skin."

* * *

When Sheik entered the Lesser Library, things seemed somehow… staged. Perhaps it was the way the other Advisors were sitting around the table, keeping their heads down to hide their small smiles of victory. Or the way the King pointedly looked at him as if he were something that needed addressing, like a problem… a calm looking Zelda unnerved him somehow this day. And why was Impa suddenly involved in all this?

Sheik discreetly made sure the blades strapped to his wrists were easily accessible.

"Sheik."

He curtly nodded and replied, "Your Majesty,"

The King stroked his beard thoughtfully as he scrutinized the teenager. "I have heard you have been getting straight onto your duties as an advisor, and for that I applaud you. You have proved yourself as an intelligent boy, despite your… upbringing."

The Advisors tittered. Sheik ground his teeth freely because his cowl hid the gesture.

"You have been very useful to us as a correspondent between ourselves and the Sheikah; the trust you hold amongst them and your diligence is to be commended. However…"

Sheik warily took an unnoticed step back as the King continued, "You seem to have taken to power too well. Your meddling in the Balls' guest lists were uncalled for; I have heard complaints of your behaviour in the training grounds, despite you having no need to be there. I have also heard you have been bringing in assistants…?"

Sheik really regretted encouraging Lynda's disguise, now, as the Advisors who knew of his past tittered again. The ignorant wise men were quickly filled in with murmurs of glee, and their eyes widened in shock and horror, a tinge of disgust mixed with fascination. The young man didn't react, however. He had overcome that obstacle years before.

The King smiled coldly as Sheik began to build up his energy for teleportation. Or fire. It depended mostly on the King's sentence. "Despite the trust harboured towards you by your race, we are disappointed to say that we cannot say the same we share that confidence."

With a 'click' that seemed too loud, the door behind him closed.

"Your fellows have kindly reminded me that you are not the only Sheikah in the castle, and the said Sheikah, compared to you, harbours a lot more experience and wisdom when it comes to the duties your race owes this castle. I have been advised that with your meddling and with your urges for isolation… you cannot be trusted."

That was the cue. Sheik gathered his magic and released it through his fist to the ground. Nothing happened. His heart rattled painfully in his chest at the pointless release of energy, wondering why had that happened, was something…?

Zelda. Sheik shifted his Sight and found himself surrounded in a cocoon of golden light, coming directly and strongly from the Princess. She was watching him carefully, feeding her spell of containment relentlessly, the threat from only a day before evident in her eyes.

"You are being demoted, Sheikah," the King prattled on smugly, "From Royal advisor, messenger, protector, guard…"

Frighteningly aware of the mages that advanced on him in a circle, Sheik concentrated on the back of his hand, willing his new power to flow through him, come on, _do it_…

Sheik shifted his Sight again, panicking internally now as the Mages pointed their hands towards him, mists of power growing on their fingertips. Through the Sight, Sheik saw that his newly acquired Mark was invisible. Why?! Why couldn't he See it? It should be blinding him with the energy he was feeding it what the wait a second it was Mist, a magic mask he could see the shimmering edges but nothing had the power to-

_Impa_!

Their eyes met, shocked rubies meeting cold blood. Her eyes were determined slits as she unravelled the wrappings from her right hand, revealing the spiralling scars of promises on her palm. The healthy looking freckles of the Markings of Faith.

Sheik couldn't believe it. _Betrayed_. Treachery by the woman he had thought of as _family_, the _only one_-

Magic flashed. Sheik braced himself. He hoped he had enough juice to give a good fight.

He did. He fought the magic that tore his muscles, made them turn to stone and crumble. He didn't feel the pain at his knees as they struck the floor because the rest of him was alight with fire, wishing but unwilling to curl on himself as the pain engulfed him and trapped his scream in his throat. Invisible knives slashed at his skin unsuccessfully for a while, blinding him in agony. But he dwindled, his resistance lessened, and the blindly carving knives began to leave their ugly marks. On his neck black burns bled into existence, tantalizingly slowly, spelling his doom. They clawed around his wrists just as slowly, raking across his scalding skin, shackling him. A collar of words finally etched its last letter onto his throat, sealing it with a symbol of a wolf. Sheik's nose bled from the resisting, and the Mages' brows were slicked with sweat.

Sheik glared with complete hatred towards the Sage, his aunt who had supported him over his imprisonment, the only one he had completely trusted through all these years…

Impa turned away in distaste and shame, avoiding the eyes that were genuinely heartbroken at her betrayal. Sheik moved onto Zelda, and she levelly held his stare, unrelenting and unashamed, and she mouthed the words 'I stopped you'.

Trapped. Again.

Sheik stood tiredly, his legs bucking under his suddenly heavy body. He levelly looked upon betrayer, jailer, and arbitrator and let the rage seep into every fibre of his being, fusing it into his essence, numbing his mind, freezing his heart, encasing his soul with lead…

He stood straight. He regarded the whole room. His face was blank for a second, and everybody knew it because his cowl had shifted through the ordeal.

He smiled. "_Ni aigh, Ruyelte. Ni aigh._"

Everybody—including those who didn't understand the words—simultaneously shivered.

* * *

Perhaps two or three weeks after the Princess met Lord Garth, Ian Mayne, her morning guard, was asked a question that took him aback.

"Have you seen Sheik lately?"

Lynda was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor, dressed in her green tunic and scarf, holding the two gifted swords in her arms as she waited for the said Sheikah. They were at her door, Ian doing his duty in watching over the Princess, although usually she'd be looked after by the men at the training grounds at that time.

She should've been gone twenty minutes ago.

"It's just that," she continued, fiddling with a hole she should've fixed in her leggings, "I haven't seen him for a while. He's really good at fighting, and I've been getting better at controlling myself around jibes and I was so sure I could beat him today…"

Ian searched for any other reason she might wish to see him, but her face was innocent and true. He sighed. "I have no idea where he is, Miss Lynda. To be honest, I have no idea why he is even in the Castle."

She frowned. "Why don't you like him? Why doesn't _anybody_ like him? He's a great guy once you know him."

Ian snorted. "That man holds dark secrets, my Lady. You don't want to go near him."

Her frown deepened a hint. "So what, everybody has secrets."

Ian didn't like upsetting the Princess. Not because he worried about the consequences—Lynda never tattled—but he really liked this girl. It was like having a grandchild again, only he had an amount of respect for her wide opinion.

"Miss Lynda, what I meant to say is that you are right; he is not well-liked in this castle. Sometimes for his origins, sometimes for old quarrels, sometimes just for the sake of not accepting him. I… I am merely wary of him. There is something odd in the way he moved through the ranks, my lady. Always the right circumstances and the right recommendations… I do not know how he is here, I do not know where he works, and I do not know why he seems to think that he is superior…"

Lynda was on her feet, insulted. "He doesn't think he's superior!"

Ian lowered his head in a humble bow. "I was stating an impression, Miss Lynda. I honestly don't know him enough to state it as fact or lie."

"He… He's a _good guy_ he really is, he's not some psychopath… he just looks that way because of his scarf, and his fringe, he, he told me that he wore it to protect himself and I thought it was ridiculous but that's the way he is, I mean, I… I'm going to train."

She picked up her swords that had clattered to the floor, one naked, one sheathed. She looked shaken.

"Don't forget to disguise yourself, your Highness," Ian called before sighing sadly, shaking his head at the retreating form of the Princess.

At the training grounds, it was, "Where's Sheik?"

She ventured into the kitchens, still disguised, "Where's Sheik?"

She caught Impa after breakfast, "Where's Sheik?"

The answers were either 'I don't know' or 'Who are you talking about?'

Feeling lonely, she got dressed into one of her stupid skirts and tried looking for Zelda after breakfast.

She found Garth instead.

"Hello, Lynda. The King's invited us guests to go hunting. Care to join?"

Lynda smiled sadly and shook her head. "I don't like hunting much. I did it only when I really desperately needed to, when I was in the forest."

"But you _do_ know how to hunt though, right?"

"Yeah, a little…"

"You like horse-riding?"

Lynda grinned. "As long as it isn't side-saddle, I'm all for it."

"Well, why not come along?" he persisted, extending his hand out to her, "I'm sure you won't get much of a chance to ride for a while, after all."

"…Okay," she said, placing her hand in his, deciding to forget about Sheik. He was a jerk anyway, not meeting up with her for two whole weeks when he promised to teach her bare-handed fighting, when he'd assured her that he had plenty of time for her, when she had been so sure that they were becoming real good friends…

Forget him, he's a jerk.

* * *

And all too soon it was time to dismount, and Lynda nor Ember, the horse she'd chosen to ride, didn't want that. Namely because they had had the most boring experience of their lives. Lynda hadn't bothered to talk with the fiancés and sisters and wives and so on of the hunters, and Ember hadn't gotten a chance to really work her hooves mainly because she hadn't been allowed to be part of the hunt.

"Princess…"

"Can't I ride a little more?"

"But Princess…"

"Please, captain," Lynda begged, hands clasped, knowing full well that this guard was not a captain, "I really think Ember and I are connecting. I'll be careful, I swear, and I've already asked two other guards to escort me, oh please, I heard so much about the gardens at this time of year…"

"Well… perhaps you can remain for another half hour. Do you believe these guards competent?"

"Yes, I really do, and thank you so, so much I won't ever forget this, your name is…?"

It went on like that for a while before Lynda nudged Ember, and the horse was eager to go. They met no guards there, just like Lynda wanted, and she mused on what Navi had argued so long ago, about women being underestimated.

"I'm really starting to think that being a girl's not that bad, you know, because there was no way that guy would've fallen for that trick if I wasn't," Lynda told Ember, and in answer she lunged into a gallop without being asked, whinnying in either fear or excitement.

Lynda grabbed on and gladly let the adrenaline rush her, laughing in exhilaration as the trees rushed past her, branches snagging her devilishly, the wind roaring in ruckus laughter in her ears, oh, how it felt good to be riding such speedy horse, how good it felt to be in the trees again… if only she had that reassuring weight of a bow at her back, not for hunting, but for plain fun, the Poes of the nightly fields throwing things at her for her to shoot, aiming at fruit in the trees, then at the leaves, then at their stalks and miss spectacularly…

Ember eventually stopped, nodding animatedly, nuzzling a puddle of water for a drink. Lynda followed her black-coated companion's example by dismounting and taking a tankard from one of the hooks on the saddle, a little appalled that she hadn't been the one that had packed the things.

There was a whisper, a flicker, and Lynda's eyes widened.

Ember shrieked and reared onto her hind legs, while Lynda gave a shout.

* * *

The stables were quiet when the girls entered it, and apparently nobody was around.

They were proven wrong when something rustled in the dark corner. Light flashed yellow and zoomed into the said corner, and there it found young Lord Polnuc with his hair ragged and full of hay, shirt half off, on top of a shirtless stable boy.

Lynda blinked. "Oh."

Garth and the unknown stable boy were hastily trying to untangle themselves from each other, scrabbling for clothes and purchase, protesting about intentions, that it wasn't what it looked like just let them explain…

Lynda couldn't help but snort at their panic.

Garth looked shocked, half way through pulling a jacket on inside out. "You're… you're not…?"

"I'm not what?" she asked back with a smile, shocking Garth more, "I'm a little surprised, but…" she shrugged. "You guys make a nice couple."

She grinned cheekily at their blushes. "I'm shocked you haven't introduced me yet Garth; here I was, thinking I was your best friend…" she wiped an imaginary tear away, smiling wickedly.

"_I'm_ shocked that you're taking this so well," a small voice remarked, and the men looked around blindly for the culprit, fearing the worst.

"Oh, I haven't introduced you two either, huh," Lynda countered contemplatively, as the light from before flew over her head, blue as the sky, and did it have wings…?

"This is Navi," the Princess said, extending a hand to the light, smiling as if the sun had dawned in her eyes, "And she's my best friend from the forest."

"Spiritual guide at your service," She said in a manner worthy of a salute.

"Look, things are going way too fast now," Lynda chided nobody once she noticed the vacant look in the boys' eyes, "So how about you two get yourselves… um... fully dressed, I guess, and I'll see you in the Lesser Library with something to eat, okay? We've got lots to talk about. I'll just put Ember back…"

"Um… I'll do that miss…" the flustered stable boy said, two of the buttons on his shirt done up wrong. Lynda grinned, and the stable-boy didn't see any smugness or triumph for catching them; just a friendliness that came with promises of unbreakable loyalty.

"You know," she said, as she handed him the reins, "A friend of mine used to call me Fairy Boy…"

The Stable boy blushed and Lynda burst out laughing hysterically.

* * *

**You cannot say that ntohing happened in this chapter. You just can't. **

**Please press my button and make me happy, because everbody needs happiness.**


	13. In the Limelight

Hello. Heh, I'm actually updating regularly, shockingly enough. Although I might not be able to keep it up because exams are flying in real fast... damn, I hate exams. Don't you?

Anyways, review replies!

**_Louiii:_** Thanks so mcuh for the compliment! Sheik went off to plot some assassinations ;)

**_Healing Sword_**: Thank you. I'm glad you appreciate Lynda's personality, and don't worry, Sheik is okay. Sorta. Thank you again, and i hope you have a nice read.

**_Suethe_**: Yeah, Likelike skin. I just thought that with gerudos living in a barrne desert, they're going to have to be a little resourceful, you know? And I liked the patterns OOT used for their skin. I think it looked kinda silky. Savir is okay. he is not dead. As for Impa, I was trying to make her look like a I-don't-like-doing-this-but-i-have-to-because-you're-dangerous person, but... ah well. Evil taking all cookies is good too. And nothing much happened in the cliffy. Navi just came out and spooked the horse.

**_Somebody_**: Believe, I wouldn't have done it if i didn't have to.

**_Meg_**: Thank you so so much for such a long review! Your appreciation of my story was very kind, and I'm glad you've enjoyed my sotry thus far. Sheik's character will gradually be revealed (actually a lot of it has been, in this chapter...), and I hope I'll be able to do his mysteriousness justice. I was kinda tempted to join the bandwagon when it came to Evil Zelda, but then i thought, no, Triforce of Wisdom, must be careful. I'm hoping to give her a niver impression in future chapters. Sheik will find happiness... eventually. Long time till that happens, though (--;) Yes. Sheik definitely needs saving. And Lynda gets a chance to, here! Woot! I really like long reviews. Keep 'em coming! XD

**_HeroofTimes_**: Yes, Sheik is alive, perhaps not well, but definitely alive. The magic thing was my way of interpreting the properties of Hyrule, and as for the Gerudos having only women... I'll get onto that, evetually. Thankyou for your praise, I hope you like this chapter too.

**_The Ninja Squirrel_**: yeah, I originally put him in for that purpose, but then that meant an extra, rather meaningless chapter, so I thought, whatever, not doing it. But he does have some uses though.

**_P.s. to all readers:_** Bad language at the end!

Enjoy.

* * *

**_In the Limelight_**

Garth was reading rather happily that evening, the evening before he left for home, the castle servants having done his packing for him. He was glad that his talk with Lynda had worked out so well, and the way she had so easily accepted his… preference of lovers. It made it so much easier to spend time with her for weeks after and together they had declined the suggestion of their engagement their parents had brought forth, and he didn't even have to think about regrets and Lynda's unknown feelings, because, hey, they were perfectly known! Not only that, Ruth, his newfound love (by the request/order of Princess Lynda) was now in his service. He couldn't have been happier.

That is until all his candles had blown out at once, engulfing his room in the complete darkness of night. He shivered as he felt a presence that reeked rage and anger and evil enter his room with an ice cold breeze. He slowly turned in his chair to meet the figure that rested against his windowsill, a blade catching moonbeams on its length.

Garth sprang onto his feet in fright. An intricately carved blade sang against his throat. Dread flooded the merchant.

"What do you-?"

"Know? Perhaps about an interest you have in your new Stable-boy. Or the refusal to marry a younger Princess. Your father may not mind, no, not at all… ah, but what about your sister, always waiting for her sibling to be happily married, how devastated she would be if she knew your real passions, how she would rave and sob over you and your lost destiny… Need I say more?"

Garth whimpered defeat.

The entity snickered, pulling back into a flawless mocking bow, a shadow that had life, "Good, good… All I wish for is your silence in exchange for mine. A daily interest of loyalty suits me well. _Give me your hand_."

Garth didn't protest, because he knew he would've been murdered without a second thought if he disobeyed.

The knife flashed and pricked the centre of his palm, drawing blood. The red droplet glowed white as the unknown entity murmured words in an unknown language, pricking his own hand with the same bloodstained tip.

In the light Garth saw a thin veil of blonde hair half obscuring the spiral of pinprick scars on the entity's hand.

"Are you the King's…?"

A low snicker of black mirth crawled through Garth's ears. "No, I'm just your Secret keeper. This mark will leave you when I say so, or when you've breathed your last. Speak of me and your soul and life will be mine."

Then there was another word, harshly spat out, and complete darkness of unconsciousness swallowed him.

In the morning, Garth found a scar that resembled a freckle, only black as death, in the dead centre of his palm.

Garth briefly wondered whether the term 'Blackmail' came from the ritual.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"This is stupid," Navi said contemplatively, swirling around the mug of honorary honeyed water.

Lynda had to agree, but she was busy trying to convince the man she was sitting next to that women were perfectly good at swords-play.

She was quickly becoming sick of balls, and the stupid people they tended to bring. Navi had made it a lot easier for her, and together they had spent a full day complaining about the pointlessness of polishing the skin of fruits, which, eventually were to be eaten.

Navi was in fact, delighted at the change Lynda had gone through. She still hated titles like Hero and Princess, she still complained frankly and whiningly about anything that made her want to roll her eyes, and most importantly, she had gotten her old spark back. She was talking to a wide range of people, and it warmed the Fairy's heart to know that Lynda was finally beginning to trust once more.

The fairy intended to thank Sheik from the bottom of her fairy heart and, just maybe, if he proved himself to be a real neat guy, a simple wish. Or friendly prank. She had to admit, she was leaning towards the prank a lot more…

Lynda gave up on talking to the idiot next to her, and the fairy sighed and perched herself on the rim of her cup, opening and closing her wings gently, "I miss Garth."

"Yeah…"

Lynda sighed. Worried too. He had been a good friend, an _excellent _friend, but there had been something wrong with that smile, the way he had said goodbye and looked around. He had looked… haunted.

Sheik might know what was going on… If he was ever _here_.

Lynda deliberately stabbed the fish on her plate harder than necessary, pretending it was Sheik's face.

Where was Sheik anyway!? He hadn't come to the training grounds for weeks, it was like he had suddenly turned to dust! Oh sure, he had said that because of his duties as Royal counsellor he had very little time to help her adjust, but this was completely stupid! He didn't even show up to training any more!

Oh sure, the soldiers' attitude towards her was much better now because they knew she was the stupid Princess (Navi had blown it by screeching instructions) but now they didn't know what to do with her. One had sort of shied away after saying sorry for taunting her in her early days, another had suffered a withering look from her by trying to ask her to step aside, and… Lynda stabbed the fish again. The only thing that hadn't changed was Ian and Pell. Pell was just as nice as usual, and just as quirky in her own little way, saying with a wink that she had known all along that 'Link' had been someone special.

That had dismayed Lynda a tiny bit, but after seeing Pell trip over a stuck-up, higher ranked noble servant from outside the castle with the broom, Lynda had given a sigh of relief.

It was a small nuisance changing the guards' schedule so Ian could teach her some traditional moves of the sword at the training grounds, but at least she hadn't lost the wise old man to talk with in the mornings…

"Hey Lynda…?"

"Yeah?"

"I just… you know… wanted to apologize for not visiting for a long time," the fairy circled around guiltily, and her glow flickered. Lynda waved a hand

"It's alright, Navi, it wasn't like much time's gone by anyway…"

Navi fluttered her wings incredulously. "Lynda… you remember when you left the forest? You remember it being the start of winter?"

"Yeah…"

"You know what season it is now?"

Lynda blinked hesitantly, horror dawning on her features. "… Oh damn. Damn, damn, damn, I _don't_! I… it's… holy crap is it… was…"

"It's been four months since you left." Navi explained gently, "We're pretty much in the middle of spring."

Lynda was simply thunderstruck. The first shedding of the wolfos pups and their winter furs, the tiny brave buds that popped up the purest green, the dances that the Skulkids of the forest had performed, the swiping of the Kokiri Honey from Mido as well as the bees, the unfurling of the flowers, the tiny little seedlings of the Deku scrubs, the plays Saria and the rest would've organized so they could perform to the Deku tree, the final goodbyes the crickets chirped before giving in to death for new life… she'd missed it. She'd missed all of it and more.

"Oh Lynda, here, hug vibes, hug vibes…" Navi began to swirl around her charge, gently encasing her in light and fairy dust. This caused a lot of attention her way, so Lynda excused herself from the table and made the painstakingly long walk towards the exit, the nobles sitting on the painstakingly long table watching her as she went.

She slammed the door shut. She refused to go to the ball.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Lynda are you sure this is a good-"

"Yes I'm sure," Lynda snapped, as she tied her hair into a ponytail, stuffing her long hair into her old, now magic-less hat, "These people have been brainwashing me long enough; I'm outa here."

"But Lyn…"

"Navi, I don't even like these people! I have realised, completely and utterly, that I don't like these people. It took me four months to realise, but now that I have… Din it's liberating!" Lynda threw her hands up, her old gauntlets flapping in her hands. "Hylians are a nuisance, they really are!"

"Lynda. You're Hylian." Navi replied in a deadpan,

"But I don't feel like it! Even if I was born one, the last thing I seem to be is Hylian! Ruto used to be my fiancé, Darunia's an actual sworn brother, I have a membership card from the Gerudos and Malon once gave me her best horse! My father is not the King, Zelda is not my sister, and that Goddess forsaken Queen is not my mother! _You_ are my sister, Saria's my… mother-sister-aunt… person, the Deku tree's… a… I don't know. Uncle-cousin. _They_ are my family, not these…"

Navi watched her sister wave her hands manically, trying to think up a term, "People?"

"Idiots! Thank you Navi; great suggestion. Yes, dear fairy mine, you may laugh as long as you like, but it will not change the facts: these people are nut salads in their own unique way. Salads, I am _not_ sorry to say, that are not to my taste. We're off! To the harmless adventure that awaits us!"

"Harmless?"

"Oh, you know, stopping moons from crashing into cities, visiting cities in the sky, finding the ultimate answer to Life, the Universe and Everything in between…"

Navi chortled and said, "It's good to have you back, Lyndie…"

"Oh gods you did _not_ just call me 'Lyndie'," the Hylian stuck out her tongue as she exited her room, a sack of things slung over her shoulder.

The sisters chortled together as they strolled through the hallways, talking about everything that came to mind. Complaints, tiny fancies, going back to see Saria, renewing old friendships with everybody around the country, magic treasures like the fairy crystals and the Lens of Truth…

The soldiers that tried to stop her got a glare that would've quelled a dragon and a clear statement about leaving. They didn't know whether to report her or not.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik was trying to get used to that all too familiar feeling of scars swathed over his neck and wrists, as if they were solid ropes chafing at his skin. They burnt when he closed in on places where he wasn't allowed to go, and strangled him whenever he strayed too far outside the castle. The scars around his wrists itched when somebody was around, begging to be revealed to flaunt his laughable position in the Castle Hierarchy.

And his Markings of Faith were making it worse. Magic wasn't permitted at his status; by gods, his whole arm felt like fire when he added a new mark, securing another man or woman under his control. But he needed them even more now, to get out of this prison, from these chains. He'd been stupid enough to believe that the relic in his hand would somehow break through the bonds, but Zelda had bound that part of his magic too. Her advantage of knowing exactly how the Triforce worked had been his downfall.

But she still couldn't control him, no, Power could never be completely held under rein and tether…

The blemishes around his wrists gave warning stabbings of pain as he neared a wall that lead to the magic corner of the Lesser Library. Sheik growled; he knew all too well where and when he couldn't go to parts of the castle, and it included all the parts of the libraries he ever visited. The section on sorcery and the fighting arts in the Lesser Library, and the Greater library was strictly off-limits. The secrets of magic were lost to him, and it drove him insane with fury.

And then Lynda had to show up.

That woman with her fairy beside her, giggling as if all was right in the world, with eyes that reminded him of the roiling seas, wearing that stupid hat again, and the tunic that reflected every part of her, her nature, her personality, her humility…

And the delight he saw when she noticed him cut deep into his chest.

"Sheik!" she cried, bounding over, grabbing at his forearm excitedly, "Furore I haven't seen you in ages! What happened, did you get kidnapped or something?"

The cheerfulness she emanated begged him for a lashing.

"Unlike you, Princess, some people have things to do," Sheik snapped, jerking his arm away from her grasp, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

She looked like someone had removed the peg that kept her jaw to her face.

Then she scowled dangerously. "What's up with the ice?"

Sheik sneered as he made to turn. "Not everybody needs someone's hand to hold, _Princess,_"

Lynda grabbed Sheik's shoulder and whirled him around to face her, her expression one of a storm. "You did not just say that,"

"Then perhaps you could leave me alone and get on with business, as everybody else does." he replied, patronizingly, "Wait, right, sorry; as Royalty you really _have_ nothing important to do, do you?"

"Well I wonder whose fault _that_ is," she snapped, jabbing at his chest with her forefinger, "The only reason I'm even here is because of you and your mission for-"

"Oh do go on, Highness, there's nothing more _enthralling_ than you whining pathetically over something you have no control over," Sheik dramatically rolled his eyes, sneering behind his mask, "You're all the same; complain and stamp your foot to get what you want, is that how you work now?"

"Hey! You listen buster; there is no way you're going to-"

"Ah, you even have your fairy to support you now! What, are you starting a fan-club with your motley crew of friends?" Sheik placed a hand mockingly to his chest, "Why, I feel rather lonely at not being invite-"

"Don't make fun of them!" she yelled, her hands balled into furious fists, "Say anything like that ever again and I'll kill you!"

"Oh I'm so scared," he drawled, watching her eyes go glassy, "What're you going to do, stab me with your hairpins?"

He dodged and dodged and dodged again as Lynda began to furiously try to punch his face. He ducked deep to avoid her roundhouse kick and jumped back to avoid another fist. Damn, he hadn't realised she could be so fast…

She was already in front of him and he had to roll away to avoid getting tackled.

An ankle grazed his side as she tried to get him in the forehead, he had to block a fist with his palm because there was no time to dodge bodily another foot lashed out and caught him in his ribs Sheik struck back but she dodged and attempted to swipe his feet but he jumped away again, and the two glared at each other, crouched on the carpet like wolves, tense and ready.

"Alright, _blood-eyes_," Lynda growled, "If you so enjoy taunts, maybe we should take this somewhere a little more _appropriate_,"

Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "'Blood-eyes'? I like that."

"You won't like it so much once I'm finished with you,"

"Blind me, will you? That might actually be useful in a demented sort of way…"

"Meet me in the Soldiers' Courtyard in half an hour. No limits applied. All magic, weapons and equipment allowed. Let's see if you're tough enough to beat me."

Sheik's scars recognised it as a command. He held back a cry of pain as the magic collar flared into life, burning his throat and heart. The power of his bond coursed through his body, finding the Markings on his arm, burning them. His divine power fought back at the intrusion, tearing his hand apart with agony. His chains worked at his muscles, trying to make him bow. They succeeded in lowering his head, but by only a smidge and nothing more. He lifted it up forcefully as he held back the bile in his throat, muttering, "You're handing out orders now. I'm so proud of you,"

Lynda's face flared at the comment, and she growled back, "Be there."

"Yes, your highness," Sheik muttered, for once happy to submit to his chains, because he knew it infuriated her.

Lynda stomped off to get all her equipment from the armoury.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

It was not unnatural to find a couple of men fighting with swords to settle a quarrel. It was not unnatural to have crowds, either. It wasn't really that unnatural to have women involved somewhere in the equation too.

But usually it didn't involve women fighting in the said swords matches.

It was a strange sight, really. Their Princess dressed in a green hat and tunic, the belt sporting a sling shot, a bag of shells, three pouches filled with some sort of stone each, and a strange device. On her back was a sword, shield, and a quiver of arrows, the bow slung over a shoulder. Even a boomerang poked out of the mass of weapons. A pair of gauntlets with plates of silver hugged her hands.

She fiddled with a knife as she sat on a decorative rock, waiting for Sheik to arrive.

"Lynda,"

"Yeah, Navi?" she coldly replied, watching the other side of the court,

"Why do you still have that?"

Lynda stopped fiddling with the blade, examining it instead. In all ways possible, it was unremarkable. A fraying wooden handle and a plain piece of sharpened metal: that was all it was. But it was a dark reminder to something that Lynda refused to speak of, something that had happened to her that day she'd come back refusing to be touched…

Navi's wings juddered in a Hylian equivalent of a shivering spine. Never again did she want to see her charge so bruised and bloodied, that wound that had bled over her eye and mouth, her clothes torn, an arm broken, and that knife, drenched in dark and dried blood… She'd been like that sometimes, in the Lost Seven Years, but never looking so haunted, so frightened, tears streaming from her eyes at the confusion of it all…

Lynda suddenly looked up and growled. Sheik had arrived, wearing black. Black leggings, shoes, tunic, and something like his usual scarf, only it hugged his neck and jaw flawlessly, as if it were a second skin. White bandages covered his hands instead of gauntlets, and like always his unruly hair covered his right eye. Somehow, despite the lack of face showing, you could tell that he was smiling. He had no weapons in sight.

As the Princess stood, Navi saw a shadow in Lynda's eyes, the same concealing darkness she'd harboured for so long…

She was reverting. She was becoming what Navi and Saria had sought to be rid of.

"Lynda please," Navi squeaked desperately, "I'm sure Sheik didn't mean it he must have been having a bad day surely he-"

"He insulted you, Navi," she growled back, hatred singing as she unsheathed her sword, "And everybody else I like in this damn castle. _They_ were the ones that took care of me, _they_ were the ones that helped me through all this crap, and he _abused_ them. There is no way, _no way_, he is _not_ going to pay for that!"

"How heroic of you," Sheik sneered, giving a sardonic bow, making the watching crowd tense with anger, "Maybe someone will write a poem about it."

"Or a bedtime story," Lynda sneered back, "With how my past has been, would you surprised?"

"No, not really," he replied contemplatively as he wrung his wrists as if to readjust his bandages, "But then, at this rate, you'd have two stories to contribute. I wonder, which would be more pathetic?"

He smirked under his face cover and crouched. Lynda moved to get the shield off of her shoulders, but realised with a sickening jolt that once she strapped her defence on, her arm kept shaking because of the weight. It was at these times she hated being a Princess; she never had the time to train with all her equipment.

Lynda threw the shield aside with disgust and spun the sword in her hand, testing its weight. She would have to thank the Gorons for this toy… "Any last words?"

Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "You intend to kill me? Why, I'm flattered."

The soldiers who had helped with Lynda's training made to move in on the impudent Sheikah with drawn weapons. "Don't!"

A captain with a lost eye looked stunned. "But Princess-"

"No! This is a fight between him and me. That includes you, Navi," she added more kindly, before returning to Sheik, "There will be _no_ interferences."

"Ah, speaking of interferences," Sheik started, straightening up from his crouch, "I need your permission to perform magic."

Lynda seemed to surface from her hatred for a tiny bit, showing incredulity. "Huh?"

"You see, as a bound Sheikah, I have some restrictions. One of them happens to be thou-shalt-not-attack-his-or-her-royal-highness, and thou-shalt-not-use-magic. At all. So, as you can probably see, it's quite unfair. Care to help me on that?"

Lynda scowled suspiciously before saying, "What do I do?"

"Oh, just give me permission to do whatever I like, really." He said, shrugging, "Unless you want a desperate handicap to make sure you win?"

The surrounding crowd yelled in outrage but didn't step forward again, lest they suffered the wrath of either Princess or Sheikah. Lynda nodded and proclaimed, "Sheik, I, Lynda Harkinian, allow you to use your magic to full potential, and fight me in any way you like until one of us has either lost, or yielded."

Sheik winced when some of the runes on his neck faded with protests, strangling his windpipe. His fists clenched at the pain that scratched at his wrists, giving back most of his muscular control. Then magic swallowed him, his birthright, and some undertone of holy power, still not free from Zelda's shackles.

But it would be enough.

His raised his hands; power surged into his fingertips, ready to throw anything and everything through time and space. Gods, this felt good.

He flicked his wrists; purple flames burst from his hands. He noted the look on Lynda's face and smirked. Gods, this felt _really_ good.

He summoned illusions. He summoned more fire. He summoned liquid shadows and the power of his people, swirling around him, billowing his hair, turning his eyes from rubies to dark, dried blood. Darkness surrounded him like a fog, smoky lights of fire and twilight and raw power swirled around him like fairy-lights, only dark, twisted, _powerful_.

Gods, this was _freedom_.

Lynda backed away slowly, sword held up in one hand, as the other one trailed down to the pouches on her belt, the ones that she had thought would be unnecessary. The three Sheiks that smirked at her frightened her, the swirling blackness that licked at his sides reminded her of predatory night, and flames that he fused in his hands, slowly turning into a sphere, electrifying, growing…

Lynda saw Ganondorf in her comrade's place, laughing like a maniac as he raised that cursed ball of solid energy above his head…

"_LYNDA!!_" Navi screeched, terrified.

Sheik fired: Lynda tapped at a pouch and begged, "Nayru."

A crystal cracked into existence, caressingly warm. The chaotic ball of destruction brushed out of existence once it touched the blue surface, and Lynda gave a shuddering sigh of relief. The crystal faded, but it was still there, protecting her, showing itself through fairy-lights and subtle cerulean sun-streaks.

Sheik hummed and experimentally flicked a couple of tiny balls of darkness at her as he glided closer, cocking his head to the side curiously as they sizzled into nothingness. Lynda tapped another pouch and ordered, "Din."

Fire burst and became a handheld sun; Lynda threw it with all her might. Black tendrils snapped and swallowed the sun. Sheik smirked.

Lynda threw again and again, small and powerful balls of fire rocketing towards the Sheikah as his shadows batted and ate them up, his own balls of energy crackling against her defences like menacing parasites. Sweat beaded in her forehead; Lynda was losing magic fast.

Navi couldn't help it.

"_GO Lynda GO!! You better beat him you better or else you hear me I'll be the one cursing him so beat him up to a pulp die Sheik DIE get him get him GET HIM!!_"

Navi proceeded to warble obscenities at the loudest voice she could produce and eventually reverted to Fay, warming Lynda's heart.

Lynda was limited to Din's Fire, but Sheik had plenty up his sleeve. Silver spears, summons of Shadow Vermin, darkness and raw power of all different shapes and forms, he threw nearly everything at her, knowing that this was his chance. His chance to show off and let them all know that he was something to be reckoned with, something to be _feared_. He may be chained again, but the fear would grow, giving him new leeway in the castle hierarchy. And Lynda, oh their _precious_ Lynda, so oblivious a pawn in his game, so easy to manipulate and deceive…

But by damn, she was a good fighter.

The soldiers were beginning to follow her fairy's example, Sheik noted. They were starting to yell curses, encouragement, showing a sense of bravado that they didn't really believe in. Lynda rolled away from an exceptionally large ball of light and gasped for air, trying to think of a way of getting through Sheik's defences…

Something jerked through her magic and Sheik was right there, _right there_, his magic caging them both in smothering black and red and purple, darkness and twilight and shadow coiling at her being…

"So this is what an 'Honourable Fight' comes down to," he commented contemplatively, watching as her eyes widened in shock, "Entertainment."

"Furore!" she squealed, and swirls of green encased her and she vanished, finding herself kneeling at a distance staring at his back.

Sheik snapped his gaze towards the Princess and smirked. He cancelled his veil of magic and hissed excitedly, "_Bring it_."

She lunged up and threw; Sheik dodged, a long knife swiping the air noisily as he missed. Lynda jumped back and back and back, pelting him with deku as well as pumpkin seeds. He guarded his face as he charged. His knives he'd unsheathed out of nowhere glinted wickedly in the spring sun, and Lynda kept running back, waiting, waiting, her hands desperate for that larger pellet-

_Now_.

The string snapped and released. Sheik's eyes widened as he realised too late what was coming towards his eyes. The deku nut flashed and blinded him. He stumbled and something rocketed into his spine, forcing a loud grunt out of him. The boomerang dropped to the ground as he thudded to the ground in a kneel, trying to get over the pain.

Lynda ran towards him, sword already drawn.

With a yell she stabbed; Sheik jumped up and landed on the flat of her blade, a smirk of triumph clear in his visible eye.

Lynda shuddered in recognition of the move and tried to retract. She was forced onto the ground instead as Sheik used her shoulder as a platform to lift himself up, roll in the air, throwing four knives towards her back. She tumbled away and the daggers buried themselves all the way to the hilt in the grass.

They faced each other, both having earned and placed their first blow, the damaged shoulder and back throbbing madly.

"Even, aren't we?" Sheik said rather cheerily as he picked up the long knife he'd dropped onto the grass,

"Not for long," Lynda spat and lunged, blade out, yowling like an angry cat.

Jab, swing, block, block, spin, parry, stab, stab, stab, block, parry, parry, parry… Lynda pedalled backwards as she was forced onto the defensive, something she wasn't really good at. Sheik knew it all too well.

Sheik was agile, fast, and strong. Lynda found herself wondering why he _fought_ her, when he could just as easily blasted her with his magic, what exactly drove him? They got into a rhythm, a violent one, Sheik always driving her back, Lynda always running, dancing out of the way now instead of blocking the blows, thinking, why does he fight, what were his reasons?

Sheik ducked down and brought his blade upwards, intending to get behind her sword and through to her abdomen. She parried it just in time, and they held, metal grating against metal, Lynda holding onto the sword only because of the magic of the Silver gauntlets.

"What do you have against me?" she growled, straining down on his long knife, "I thought we were _friends_," she pushed harder, and the magic of the silver gauntlets prevailed. He was driven back and her blade fanned in front of her, violently wrenching his blade from his hand. He cursed and flashed and teleported further backwards.

Lynda's hand shot to her belt and something blasted a hooked chain towards the Sheikah. It exploded through the thick air, biting his arm and rocketing the Princess towards him with sword aimed for his heart.

Lynda kicked the grass, sensing danger, gliding over Sheik's head as he swiped needle-thin blades at where she had been. He spun to meet her as she landed, pulling at the hookshot to bring her closer for a good stabbing but she pulled the hilt up to make Sheik's blades tangle with the flat of her sword. "I have everything against you," he replied calmly.

A flash and he was gone.

Hookshot retracting with a snap, it was returned to her belt and replaced with a bow, sword sighing in the sheath as the quiver offered arrows. Her eyes darted around the courtyard, passing over an invisible Sheik as he deftly pulled hidden knives from his sleeves. He grinned and jumped from behind; she rolled and avoided the slicing blades, notched three arrows and fired. He flashed and disappeared again as the arrows arced into the sky.

He materialized quite a distance away, cocking his head to the side questioningly. "Are you _that_ intent on murdering me?"

He dodged, dodged, dodged again as she hailed down with her bow, laughing despite her extremely good aim. He caught an arrow and laced it with power, floating in front of his chest, turning to point Lynda's way. It shot through the air faster than any bow; Lynda back-flipped to avoid being pierced in the throat. Navi's scream and the soldiers' yells for Lynda's safety filled the air.

She gulped; trying to breathe calmly as she gently put down the bow and quiver onto the ground, placing the hookshot aside with them. Her hat lay abandoned somewhere else, revealing her long hair to be plaited into a long, golden rope. Sheik silently approached, a shadow with life, four needle-like razors protruding from both his knuckles.

Lynda warily backed away, sword raised, realising bitterly that she didn't know how those weapons worked and how she could defeat them. They didn't look so strong…

But then again, Sheik seemed to be all about misconception.

He lunged and stabbed. Lynda parried, and again they tangled. Only Sheik had that glint in his eye, primal and murderous, as he raised that spare hand with its deathly thin prongs pointed towards her throat.

She needed two hands for her weapon. He didn't.

She yelled in horror and dismay as she ducked down, untangling her weapon from his grasp. She whipped her head and her braided hair snapped up, attacking his eye mercilessly. He was blinded and stumbled. Lynda charged him before he could get his footing back, knowing that as soon as she was forced onto the defensive once more, she was dead. He dodged, ducked and jumped, seemingly surprised by her new drive.

He flashed with magic and disappeared, reappearing farther away to her left. It was really hard to tell whether he was tired or not, but Lynda definitely was. Her breath came in laboured gasps, and he just stood there, calm, collected, breathing long and deeply. Maybe that was his way of showing his tiredness, or maybe he was just taking in the nice, mid-spring air as if he were savouring it just to annoy her.

Again with resolve, she rushed forward, blade out, swinging and jabbing as she saw fit, Sheik all too easily blocking and parrying them away.

"What do you have against me!?" she hissed as he cackled, still easily keeping her at bay.

"Why do you think I'm here?" he suddenly asked, taunts gone, pushing her away but not moving in for the kill, "Why do you think I was appointed in the castle?"

Lynda refused to think. She stabbed, jabbed, lunged and swung, only wanting an answer, not a conversation that would distract her. "Just answer me!"

"I am," he replied simply, and began to attack with more fury than ever before, his hands a blur. All the princess could do was run backwards and parry all the blows away. Gods how she missed her damn shield…!

She swung her sword up and down. Sheik crossed his blades and they met again, weapons grating against one another. "Why do you think Impa was appointed in the first place?" Sheik hissed, pushing her harder, merciless, an unknown rage burning in his red eyes.

Lynda strained back and prayed. The silver gauntlets reacted and gave her extra strength; Sheik's blades shattered under the strain.

He flashed and disappeared; her sword buried itself halfway through the grass. He reappeared a distance away, plucking his blade from the ground. He looked over it gently, making sure that there were no chippings or cracks left behind, and satisfied, moved back in for the kill.

Navi screamed, "_Get him Lynda! Go, go, GO!"_

They danced again, parry, swipe, parry, lunge, dodge, jump, roll, swing, dodge, counter, jab, stab, whirl and clash again, always dancing, always fighting with that same ferocity of carnage and murder. But a more tireless Sheik murmured words to her in a tone that made her want to shut him out.

"That's what we are to you Hylians," Sheik spat as he slid his knife over her weapon, "Tools for sacrifice or entertainment. You think you're so _great _lording it over us, when all you do is strip us of our pride and force us deeper into the limelight, where we don't belong and don't want to be."

Lynda lunged back and stabbed once twice thrice before they locked again, always missing. "I'm not a _Hylian_," she spat back, gritting her teeth, "I am not one of _them_,"

"Oh really? You're still denying it?" he sneered as he twisted around her, teasing her tunic with swift cuts of his knife, eyes alight with wild recklessness, "If that's so, why would you hide away from the people that nurtured you? Why hide from the world you roamed so freely? Why shut away the friends that you claimed to care so much about? What's more, why would you fear a mere _touch_," he brushed his fingers through her fringe, cackling at her cringing face, "From a stranger?"

"Shut up!"

"You don't even know who you are anymore, do you?" he commented conspiratorially, driving her back, "Dragged into the light after hiding for so long, placed in a family that you obviously hate with every fibre of your gut, snared in a gender you so obviously despise… and for what?"

They locked; Sheik cocked his head to the side, looking almost bewildered as Lynda determinedly refused to meet his eyes, "What are 'promises' and 'honour' if they trap you?" he hissed, malice and anger clear in his tone, "How does the _truth _and _respect_ set you free? What's the bloody point of friends when they don't know what you need most, when they only slow you down, Princess? You said you wanted to _help_ people when you signed up for this… tell me, what have you done so far, _Hero_?"

Something split inside her; Lynda snapped her gaze and met his, blue fire roaring with rage.

"You think you're so _tough_," she snarled, driving him back, pushing him to his limits, making him frown in concentration behind his fringe and high collar, "Being alone doesn't make you _strong_, keeping promises doesn't _hinder_ you and tolerating a destiny you don't want doesn't make me weak! I may be a girl, I may not be what I thought, hoped, _wished_ I'd be, I may _hate_ my life, it may have taken me way too long to take things into my own hands, but that gives you _no right _to abuse my friends! And you're _right,_ I don't know who I am I don't know what I want to do I don't know why in fuck's name those stupid goddesses up there like to screw with me so much but there is one thing, _one thing, I am damn well sure of_!"

She swiped and made him take a step back. She stomped the ground and something flicked off the ground; another kick from underneath bruised her foot against the hard and heavy metal, but it lifted high enough for her to grab it by its straps.

Sheik retaliated too late as Lynda lunged forward, shield bashing him in the chest. He stumbled and fell, the sword cleaved the air loudly.

_Thunk_.

The Goron made sword protruded from the ground, the flat of the blade coldly caressing Sheik's cheek, having slightly cut the skin between his earlobe and jaw. A drop of sweat left Lynda's nose and dropped onto his wet cheek, his illusion of calm gone, leaving him just as tired and battered as she was.

She bared her teeth and gasped, "I am the _bitch_ that beat you."

A moment of laboured breathing, Lynda's foot pinning Sheik down as she kneeled on the grass, her muscles shaking from exertion and magic, stings daring to reveal themselves as unknown cuts began to register.

Then she suddenly noted the horizontal cut she'd marked on him, the one dangerously close to his visible eye, and astonishingly similar in length. It immediately bled, a drop of blood trailing down the side of his face like a tear. She'd nearly blinded him.

Revolted and frightened at what she'd nearly done, Lynda staggered backwards, collapsing on the grass. She didn't notice Navi fluttering up to her, hugging her hot cheek with her wings. All Lynda could see was Sheik pushing the shield off him as he sat himself up, wiping at the bloody trail. But the cut was deep; it bled more, but not in a clean curtain of red. Drops like tears spilled over his cheek, more and more, as if he was really crying blood, that somehow she had unknowingly hurt him at a much deeper level that had nothing to do with physical injury.

She didn't know what or how, but she had done wrong. Guilt clenched her stomach and held tight.

Somehow, she had let him down.

* * *

The Purpose of his markings revelaed, and their relationship is now rock bottom! How's _that_ for an update?

And, do you think i should change my title? I also need a better summary, I think, but I don't know to write. Help?

Please press the button underneath?


	14. Preys of the Night

Sorry for the late update guys, I was going to put this chapter up last week, but before I could finish off the last page my family went off to the beach for a week. This beach, I'm sorry to say, is very isolated from computers and aerials and fast internet. So, yeah. Sorry. If it makes you happier, I just got back today. Cheers.

And now, for the review replies...

**_Dragongal333_**: Oh, Sheik said... um... I'll tell you in a p.m. because you're the first person to ask and I want people to guess what he said. When I said Lynda had 'inner darkness' i was refering back to the earlier chapters where she was afraid of physical contact. That was a result of a dark encounter with... something... so, her fear was a darkness that was feeding on her, kind of thing. I think i thought about it too much. Anyway, it was about her being afraid of being touched and the something that happened to make her so scared. That something is revealed in this chapter. Enjoy. And speaking of Dark Lynda, I think you've just given me an idea for a sequal! Thanks!

**_Herooftimes_**: Thanks, that fight was something of an experiment for me, cuss it was one of the first actions scenes I'd ever written. Sheik's just being sheik, angry and vindictive and slightly a showoff, scaring the soldiers to leave him alone, kind of thing. Yeah, Sheik knows Dark magic, which cancells out stuff like Dins fire, which is holy magic. I thought into it way too deeply, I think. I thought using the items of the Hero of Time might be a cool way to turn the tide, and who'd expect such harmless stuff to cause such damage, you know? Yeah, the bindings are the reason why Sheik hates the royal family so much. I hope Lynda gets to go around the country too, because she's slowly losing opportunities to. My fault. The hat's safe in the wardrobe and the magicians did not mean to kill Sheik. They dream about it, but no, they didn't mean to kill him. Only chain him.

**_Sparda's Kitten_**: Thankyou so much for your compliments; you don't know how much they mean to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, despite its evil nature, and please review again!

**_Healing Sword_**: Ahaha. Thank you so much; I'm glad people like this story so much. And thank you for spreading the word about the fic, I hope your friend will enjoy my story too. This chapter gets a little mean, so beware. Good luck on your homework!

**_Suethe_**: Yes. Yes their relationship has been face planted. but like a plant it will grow once more! Hopefully into something that isn't so twisted like Sheik's vindictive personality. Lynda actually doesn't know whether she let Sheik down or not; it's just her gut instinct working up. It's accurate, but she just doesn't know what it is yet. I guess the whole, 'nearly blinding Sheik' thing kinda added to it, butit's different from that. It's refered to in this chapter.

**_Louiii_**: Thanks for the compliment on the fight scene, I was quite proud of it because it was one of the first I ever tried at writing, so, yeah. Thanks. They had to fight because Sheik was having a really bad time and it was the Royal family's fault and Lynda was part of the royal family and Sheik hates her for it. Lynda's just pissed off she and her friends got insulted. Don't worry, they will eventually go into the lovey-dovey stage (hopefully) and everything will be all right. Epona was returned to Malon after Link rode her into termina, deciding it was too unsafe for such a lovely horse to go on adventuring. Thankyou, and I hope this chapter will explain some stuff to you.

**_Ninja Squirell_**: Yeah, I like Navi too, cus she's only annoying if you play the game a second and a third time because you already know what's going to happen and what you need to do and all that and I found Navi real useful in the game. I thought the hug-vibes might be cool because since navi has no arms... yeah. Vibes instead. And yes, Sheik has that peice of the Triforce. I always wanted him to have it, so tada! He has it. I hope you like this chapter, review again, okay?

Thank you all for being patient with my rambling. You may read the chapter and enjoy.

**_WARNING_**: Chapter not recommended for anybody under thirteen-fourteen years old.

* * *

_**Preys of the Night**_

A wisp of green flitted in the garden, followed by another, then another, until a whole cocoon of emerald magic swirled with light, eerily brightening the night-filled courtyard. Lynda materialized from the cocoon, thanking Furore for her crystalline gift.

On her shoulder was a sack of food, water, and a bedroll. Her weapons were slung over her back as if no time had passed since her duel with Sheik, and Navi flittered around her head, giggling. Lynda stood there for a second, savouring the cool night air in the garden she liked to call The Courtyard of Destiny, or, when she was having a bad day, The Garden That Ruined My Life. Either way, it was the garden in which she'd first met Zelda and Ganondorf. Lynda let herself remember, momentarily lost in the sunlight of that long-lost day, vaguely wondering where Sheik would've been if he'd been around in the castle…

Lynda set off, the guilt from the fight nibbling restlessly at her gut. Just the way Sheik had looked at her, the way he just sat there and done nothing… it worried her. Sheik didn't just sit and do nothing. It just wasn't like him.

Pushing away the urge to shiver, Lynda sneaked through the hedges and the guards that patrolled them, ducking through the arching roses to the next courtyard. This one had a fountain that seemed far too large to be sensible, two guards circled round and round and round, like toy soldiers mindless with sleep. Way too easy.

Just to see how mindless they were Lynda stalked behind one and trailed after him, nearly giving herself away with a maniacal giggle. Navi nudged Lynda's head from her hiding place inside the cap, giving the Princess's head a scolding singe. Lynda slipped away, her tunic blending in with the grass and decorative hedges nearby.

Then it was the garden that had the gates of vines, which, as a child, she'd climbed on to avoid the guards and had ended up finding lots of rupees as a bonus. Why anyone would put good cash in vines Lynda would never know…

The guard turned the corner; Lynda jumped and scrambled up as quietly as she could.

There was no possible way to avoid some leave-rustling.

"Who's there?" the guard nearest spun and lowered the spear, jerkily looking all possible directions. Except the vine arch. Oh, there was no way that someone could hide in the vines, of _course_, Lynda thought, rolling her eyes.

"What was it?" the other guard muttered, shifting his eyes this way and that as well, trying to look through the dark of night. Lynda felt really happy with herself for covering all her weapons and equipment in cloth and leather to muffle the sound and make sure nothing reflected light. Her green tunic was old and smelly enough to hide the perfume the servants had forced onto her… she hoped.

Deciding it had been really stupid and smug of her to have grabbed onto the vine fence, Lynda contemplated whether going up would be better than down, or vice-versa. She was kinda a halfway, so… down would be smarter.

But up meant fun.

Ignoring Navi jittering in her cap, Lynda began to pull herself up, one hand over the other, using a breeze to cover her noise. She grinned when she reached the top. If she remembered right, there were stairs on the other side, making it real easy for her to escape…

What she took for granted was the fact that she had grown up. That meant height. That meant weight. That meant time. And rotting of unattended structures that had plans of being demolished, structures soon to be replaced with stone instead of wood.

That meant the Princess would end up crashing through the said structure to land heavily and noisily and humiliatingly on her back.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda was gently guided to her room by a sighing and tired Ian, who received only an apologetic grin for his work. And a wink, promising more mischief.

Oh, if only he could retire…

"Miss Lynda," he pleaded, "I beg of you, try to calm yourself."

"I'm perfectly calm, Mr. Mayne," she snickered, her fairy swirling around her head like an angel halo as if to mock him.

"But it's the sixth time…" he nearly whined, but kept it to a respectable complaint. This time a smirk that made her look like a child, that glint in her eye far too prominent for comfort.

"I'm going for ten before I go to sleep, Ian. Look, I don't want you tiring out because of me; you should go to bed."

Ian straightened to his full height and declared, "As a sentry charged with the protection of yourself, highness-"

"You are entitled to take a break to ensure you are at your peak in alertness when I _really_ need protection," Lynda reasoned kindly and fairly, turning the sentry round and giving his back a light shove, "Brush your teeth, go to bed, get some sleep. I'll order you if I have to Ian, please, while it's still a request and friendly advice?"

The old man sighed and shook his head in defeat. "As you wish, your Highness,"

"All is good as long as you don't call me that." She mock scowled, shaking a naughty finger at him, making him smile wryly. Lynda gently closed the door behind her and turned to look for her pair of gauntlets the guards had taken from her.

She found Zelda instead.

"Wargh!"

Lynda sprang back and grabbed over her shoulder, clutching at a sword-hilt that wasn't there. Her heart bounced erratically in hr chest, and she gave a shuddering gulp, trying to calm herself.

Zelda smiled slowly, apologetically. "Forgive me, Lynda. I didn't mean to startle you so."

Lynda nodded slowly, unsure of what to do. Zelda calmly shifted in her seat and gestured towards the bed. "I've been meaning to speak with you for a while. My apologies for not speaking to you earlier, I-"

"Zelda, must you be so formal with me?" Lynda smiled wryly, assuming correctly that Zelda had prepared the speech painstakingly, "After all we've been through?"

The Seventh Sage hesitated before giving a relieved looking smile. "You said those exact same words in the Lost Years. Right before I sent you back."

Lynda's smile turned a tad uneasy, noting that when she had said those words, she had been a hero to Zelda, a _boy_ named Link. And she'd been taller. Now Zelda had the advantage on height, even if it was by a smidge. "So… uh…"

"I wanted to apologize," Zelda confessed, looking down at her folded hands, "For all the things I've done to you. It was reckless of me to have assumed you were a witch when we first met properly. I am sorry I hadn't talked to you suitably before now, when you needed help most and when I was the one most able to help you through becoming someone you're not accustomed to be. I'm sorry I made you lose your seven years, forced the role as the Hero of Time on you, and now as a Princess to this country. I am indebted to you, Lynda, and it was wrong of me to have neglected you for so long. I'm sorry."

Lynda blinked dubiously as Navi gave an approving fairy nod. A smile twitched her lips. "Zelda, there was no way you could've imagined 'Link' being a girl-"

"Much less a sister," Navi added,

"There was nothing wrong with you going berserk, honestly, considering the shock I gave you; it wasn't really surprising you didn't want to talk to me,"

"Lynda seems to have managed fine, considering the circumstances,"

Lynda gave a tolerating sigh before adding, "Besides, it was my choice to go to the Temple of Time all those years ago. Technically, I should be apologizing to you, since, well, if I hadn't led Ganondorf to the Sacred realm, none of it would've happened…"

"So, you're even!" Navi finished, squealing when Lynda swatted her irritably.

"Besides, it hasn't been _that_ bad, even if this place is an asylum. Sheik was a real help, and he pulled some strings for me, which was real kind of him…" Lynda suddenly felt a pang of loss, sudden and out of the blue. Again the feeling of neglect towards him and his needs resurfaced, that odd guilt churning her gut. There was something seriously wrong, and she didn't know what…

"It's a relief to hear that," Zelda's voice cut through her thoughts, and Lynda shook herself, "Although I never expected Sheik to be so generous…"

Lynda grinned, missing the sceptical undertone Zelda had used, "Yeah, he's cool. Anyway, is that it, or have you come to dissuade me from running away?"

Zelda smiled guiltily. "I have to admit I did come with that intention, but I also have to admit that you seem the best in that attire. So, I have a deal for you."

My, this sounded familiar… "Oh?"

"I'd like you to attend one more ball. Just one. Rumours will spread that you want to escape from this life. Use it. With your upbringing, and our father's behaviour, there will be little surprise if it indeed happens. You will be free, our father would have learnt a lesson, and perhaps he will start listen to his daughters."

Lynda's grin was wide and mischievous. "I like the way you think."

"So it is settled?"

"If it makes it easier for me to get out of here, I'm all for it."

"Very well," Zelda said, standing up regally as she patted down her skirts, "Thank you for this conversation, Lynda. I am… I'm glad."

The Heroine's grin grew wider, threatening to split her face in half. "There, it's not so hard being casual, was it?"

The Seventh Sage gave a wry smile. "And it's not so hard being formal either, sister mine."

"Of course, your Majesty," Lynda gave a rather exaggerated curtsey, which looked ever more ridiculous because of the lack of a dress.

Zelda left the room chuckling softly.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik was all too aware of the coiling gossip, of the poisonous words that filled the court, filling the sick-hearted with venomous glee. The suspicious goings on of Lord Hum, Lady Aretha's possible affair with a chambermaid, the dealings of the servants at Dane Manor; all sorts of stories weaved dark colours into the air. The Markings of Faith sang with the gossip, relating the fear and unease his victims were feeling, all too aware of the black freckle on the centre of their palm and the threat of humiliation and death it represented.

More will be collected tonight.

As Sheik settled into his stool, he noted that the gossip some of his associates shared was mostly of him and his sudden demotion followed by his promotion. He glanced back at them when their gazes wandered; his eyes held an aloofness that unnerved them, and an emptiness that made them shiver. They quickly busied themselves with their instruments, trying to sit or kneel or crouch or stand as far away from him as they could.

Sheik absentmindedly plucked at the lyre assigned to him. The lyre he loved, the one that he cherished perhaps more than his life, was safely under a safe-keeping charm, opened and closed by his own drop of blood. The lyre he played now was made from red wood, smooth to the touch and not that bad sounding.

He glanced at Yana, a girl who handled the ocarina in their forced band, and he was reminded again of the lost years, and the Hero he had been assigned to guard…

Sheik shook it off and plucked again, signifying to the rest that they should get ready.

The real orchestra, the one that played loudly in plain view started. Sheik's lyre began to sing in the shadows with the rest of the motley crew, only accompanying, only noticed when a lonely noble wished for some sort of private entertainment.

Gently he played, careful with his notes, only because music was the only thing he had that was closest to purity, to innocence. Music shed his tears; it screamed for him, it yearned for him, as he slowly caved in on his icy heart, burying himself so deeply that he was just a shell…

He plucked automatically until some nobles approached.

He lazily eyed them, two men, both of them in their prime, filled with liquor and a need for entertainment. One of them tossed a rupee to Yana; it hit her cheek like a rock, making her wince and eyes water. She fumbled with her ocarina before playing a slow melody, a simple lullaby that would've made any mother proud.

One them strode over and gently whispered in her ear, and Sheik could easily guess at what he promised. A new life at his court, a proper post than this crowd of shame-filled scum, perhaps a chance at freedom…

Yana glanced Sheik's way. She had noticed that sometimes, he acknowledged her. But Sheik just turned away, twitching his shoulder in what could've been a shrug or some signal with a deeper meaning, go, don't go, it's got nothing to do with me, he's tricking you…

The young man took her hand and led her through one of the side-doors, most-likely to one of the guest bedrooms. Sheik sighed and continued to play, noting that the other man had not left yet. He eyed the other women in the crew, the ones playing the flute and harp, before letting his eyes stray towards Sheik's way.

The noble threw; Sheik caught. The rupee cut into his palm with the force, lacing the light blue with black. The two glowered at each other, one staring down his nose with authority and rank behind his back, the other memorizing the slick black hair and the grey eyes, a mole on the left side of his nose and a birthmark on his temple, making sure he knew it when he hunted for dirt in their oh so clean records…

Sheik let the glare last a tad longer than it should have before he plucked the lyre idly, keeping only to a mild and repetitive tune. He knew that if he didn't please, he'd be in trouble. He couldn't care less.

"That will be enough, Sheikah," he spat, scything a hand through the air. Sheik nodded his head mutely, already knowing that there was something more to it than that.

Proving his thoughts true, the man looked towards the main crowds and gestured; a figure shuffled forward with a raven haired head bowed down, a silver-grey gown shimmering gracefully around her. She lifted eyes filled with rain-clouds promising swift and painful tears. Sheik assumed that they were related, if not siblings.

"My dear Rosaline needs comforting, _Sentesan_," Rosaline's brother spat again, using the 'respectable' nickname rather than the official term, "You will entertain her for as long as the night lasts."

Sheik gestured towards a chair, pretending that he didn't fully understand the order, and he asked, "A bolero, my Lady? Perhaps a requiem of the stars-"

"_No_, you insolent _fool_!" the brother growled, motioning to backhand him, but that icy glare, the murderous red eyes that reminded and somehow promised him of bloodshed made him stop. Rosaline's brother decided to fiddle at some conveniently placed medals before continuing, "She lost her husband a week ago, and I find it in my duty to make sure that she is well… _sated_. Do you understand?"

It wasn't a question; it was an order, and Sheik's chains flared and churned, wrenching at his muscles, clawing at his vocal cords, commanded him to say something, bow, anything to make the damn pain stop…!

Sheik lowered his head in a bow, low enough so they don't see his hate-filled gaze, but not low enough to seem like a defeat. "Yes, My Lord,"

"Good. I expect you to be at the Luncheon in the northern labyrinth Princess Zelda is hosting, Rosaline."

"Yes, Pravus," Rosaline bowed as he strutted away, perhaps to come back later for a sentesan of his own. There were plenty around, if they looked close enough…

Sheik stood, taking the lyre with him as he led the lady on, his elbow already taken in her grasp, using it to hide her face as she exited the ballroom. Sheik worked automatically as he half led, half followed the lady to her room, putting the lyre down on her bedside table as she locked the door. He wouldn't need it.

She turned; large hands grabbed jaw, hot lips pressed against hers, angry, testing, and somehow bitter. Her arms circled around his shoulders, drawing in the solid weight and strength of a man's back. Her hands went to his hair, unravelling the bandages, then to his jaw to pull at the scarf that hid his face. Sheik pulled off the white frayed vest over his head, the crying eye of his people crumbling to the floor. She hid herself in his blue-clad chest, breathing in the distinct scent of Sheikah cloth.

His fingers were already toying at the outer laces as he forced a whispered, "My lady…"

"No," she insisted, "Rose, call me Rose…"

"Your husband…?" his breath tread in her ear like burning mist, invoking tears of loss.

"He loved me…" Rosaline closed her eyes and let herself imagine that the tongue that slid up her cheek to taste her tears belonged to her love, not some dirty peasant's… "He promised me a good life, but it ended too quickly, far too quick, I was at his bedside all day and night and I had that horse slaughtered but it did no good, he left me, he left me, not even a child to inherit his beautiful eyes…"

Rosaline was tossed to the bed and kissed, with a force and lust that surpassed her dead love's. She gasped when the Sheikah began to scrape his teeth along her neck, too fast, much too fast, Sam had always been indulgent and pleasant, not like this, no, it had to be exactly like him…

Rosaline pushed him away and was entranced by the tattoos around his throat. A series of runes, linked together like a chain, a manacle, almost. The wolf mark at the hollow of his collarbones entranced her, and she fingered the exposed skin, thinking, "Some links are missing…"

"Those bind magic," he murmured, as he pulled back fully from her, slipping his blue shirt to the floor, "I have none, so they don't bind me."

She knew it to be a lie because all slaves like him were bound completely and utterly, to make sure none slipped through the guards or tried to revolt, but she could say nothing as his lips connected with hers, roving, hungry, turning eligible words to moans of ecstasy. His tongue invaded her mouth, and Rosaline found herself subjecting to his advances, her fingers teasing at his flesh and muscle lines, not as prominent as her late husband's, but they were still there, they would have to suffice…

"Pravus…" the blonde man commented, as he trailed his nose down her slowly revealing chest, "Your brother…"

The black-haired woman spoke, but she couldn't quite hear what she was saying, images of her Sam, lovely Sam, taking her in his arms and tugging her through the bed-sheets…

Sheik let the magic flow as he unravelled her clothes and conscience, letting it caress the woman's mind and body, letting her think up all the sick fantasies she wanted but never will accomplish as a widower. He undressed her, toyed with her, asking questions into her throat and hair as she sang answers to him like a bird, and he had all the dirt he needed on Rosaline's family and friends in ten-minutes flat.

Rosaline was soon asleep, still dreaming, still moaning.

Sheik pulled away from her bed and wiped his arm across his mouth harshly, trying to get rid of her taste from his insides. His skin shuddered gladly against the cold of night, free of the woman's flesh and lips. He retrieved his blue shirt and his white vest, and he wondered whether the cloths that had covered his hair were worth getting back… no, he'll get a new set. Let them remind the dear lady of the night before, the shameful entertainment that he had delivered her.

Sheik dressed and left, the cheap lyre in hand as he closed the door. Now, perhaps it was time to ruin Parvus's oh so precious time…

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Dressed in the plainest dress the servants could find and wearing hardly any jewellery or decorations, Lynda meandered through the crowd on her lonesome. She had nothing to do, nobody to talk to except Navi, and now that she was properly attending a ball and took interest in it, Lynda found that, without dancing with a man or talking to several groups of people, it wasn't really entertaining.

"Navi?"

"Hm?" the fairy asked back, hiding in Lynda's bun,

"Do you think you could sense Sheik?"

When Lynda had first looked at the books with the picture of fairies, she had burst out laughing hysterically and was threatened retribution if she didn't stop her mad cackling. Her sense of amusement had come from the fact that the Hylians had depicted fairies in their image, only with wings and thinner, delicate forms. Oh, how that had kept her laughing for two and a half days…

Fairies were souls; that was all they were. They had no physical form except for their wings, their voice were energy, and their ability to listen and see completely depended on life and magic. There were plenty of those in the forests; that was why fairies tended to reside there.

Navi fluttered her wing, shifting some of Lynda's hair, grumbling a little for being put in a cave of blondeness, "Just wait a sec… yeah, sort of. To your left."

Lynda took a step before frowning. "What do you mean sort of?"

"There's something funny about his aura. It was hard to tell when you guys were fighting, but now that he's still… it's like he's got all sorts of auras mixed into his. Like… a garden with different vegetables and flowers, only it's doing him harm."

Lynda paled. Maybe this was what the gut instinct from their fight had meant.

"What else, Navi?" she asked, trying to sound calm as she quickened her steps, "Anything strange you noticed from our fight, maybe something off right now, or just something you picked up every time you met him? Anything small, please, tell me, tell me anything small."

"Mm," the fairy thought it over and continued, "Well, his aura's a nice purple, tinged with orange, which suits him I think. Um… oh, it's really hard trying to sense him in this stupid crowd, I'll go and find him and check him out you wait here or try looking for him on your own I don't mind I'll find him and then I'll find you next, okay?"

Navi disentangled herself from Lynda's hair and flew into the chandeliers, where nobody would notice her in the myriad of lights. Lynda followed her friend with her eyes for as long as she could before heading in that general direction, hoping it would lead her to Sheik. She bumped into many people, and trod on many feet and after ten-minutes or so of apologizing for breaking a brooch underfoot and promising a new one, she spent the next fifteen minutes stumbling in what she hoped was a straight line looking for Sheik.

Lynda, after much struggle and cussing, broke through the mist of people and dresses and jewels to find herself in a part of the ballroom that wasn't so well lit, and a tiny orchestra was there, and in the midst of it…

Sheik.

Lynda's heart jolted, and her face flushed at the rush of memories and the childish fantasies she had held for him when she had been thirteen, of the lost seven years and how she had waited for him after completing each temple, looking forward to his music and his riddles.

Because there he was, in that familiar garb of his people, a night blue body suit that clung to his skin, the strange patterns that accented his muscle lines, and the frayed white over-shirt with the symbol of his people inked over in blood-red. His hair was just the same in the way it poked out of his turban, always making her want to laugh a little.

Lynda tried looking into his eyes, hoping to see that glint of danger or sternness or that wry amusement that she'd seen in him, if not to make sure that the cut she'd inflicted on him hadn't gotten infected…

Lynda saw them and shuddered.

Rocks. That was the first word that came to her mind. Not the kind of rocks you see in Death Mountain, the ones that were filled with stories and histories and strength, no, these rocks were dead. Dead and hard and cold.

Lynda shuddered again and hid in an alcove, pressing her back against the wall, watching him from around the corner. Sheik sat on a stool and played with a tiny orchestra that accompanied the one everybody was dancing to, not with the lyre she'd seen him with before, but an old, rose-wood instrument, not as clear or strong as the one she'd gotten used to.

Navi came mere minutes later, nestling in Lynda's hair once more.

"Something's wrong with him," Lynda breathed, not daring to speak louder in case Sheik heard her or something.

Navi had no worries about her voice levels, however. But she was just as unnerved as Lynda was. "You're telling me; that guy's aura's completely _nuts_. He has fragments of other people laced in which I don't know _how_ he's done he's hiding something really powerful and he's somehow cocooned his magic and life-force around it so I don't know what it is but it's big it's bad and it's ugly and there's something that's making it even harder to see him through but it's not him that's making it its something else and it's like this sort of cage that's keeping him in shape which I might add is really bad for all auras in general but something as powerful as him could mean serious-"

"I think I finally found out where I picked up that panicky-babbling habit," Lynda mentioned wryly, and Navi replied,

"Oh really? Where?"

Lynda just sighed and asked, "What do you mean 'cage', Navi?"

Navi fluttered nervously and said, "Magic's containing him. It's not letting his aura flow like it should."

"Magic containing magic…"

_As a bound Sheikah… restrictions… thou-shalt-not-use-magic. At all._

"We have to talk to him!"

"Too late," Navi commented as Sheik stood and his elbow was taken by a black-haired lady, and they began to stroll away.

Lynda swore and rushed forward, skirts held in bunched fists as she ran, determined to keep him in sight. Who was that woman anyway, she wondered, I'd never seen her before and Sheik never mentioned her… Something was really, really wrong h- "Oof!"

"What th-"

A figure had been leaning against a wall, and suddenly stepped up. They had crashed, Lynda realised, and now she didn't know where Sheik was.

"How dare you, wench!" a man growled, rubbing at the nose she'd hit with her forehead, "You'll pay dearly with your…" he faltered, noticing that this wasn't just an average looking girl. A stunning creature with round but sharp eyes, a fringe that brushed at her neat eyebrow, skin of… well, not pale, but not tanned. By lack of jewels and the simple dress, not really high in rank… if any rank at all, if she'd been ambling around this area…

The man smiled. "Never mind, accidents happen."

"Right. Okay. Sorry about the bumping Lord, but I'm-" Lynda tried manoeuvring herself around the man as well as the wall but ended up tripping over the hem in her hurry, bumping into his chest again.

"Looking for someone and-" Lynda turned, trying to guess which door Sheik had gone through but she found herself whirling back, her wrist held tightly in the man's hand. "Excuse me-"

"Are you perhaps looking for… a friend?"

Lynda blinked, curiously looking at the man with slick black hair, the grey eyes that looked at her as if she were prey…

She shivered and began to subtly try to escape, pressing herself against the wall to support her. "Yes, I am, so maybe you could-"

"Ah, I believe I can help you," he smiled thinly, looking her over up and down. But then he seemed to think something over, and added rather offhandedly, "You have to be careful around the sentesans around here…"

"I am one," Lynda ended up blurting, her hand carefully going to the doorknob next to her, thinking that if he thought to be careful around them, maybe he'd let her go…

His gaze suddenly turned predatory. "Wonderful."

He seized the handle and pushed the door open, flinging them both inside the empty corridor. Lynda's yelp was smothered by his tongue, forcefully gaining entry inside her.

_The basket of berries dropped to the ground, as the man forced her against a tree and kissed her deeply…_

The Princess struck, swinging a hard fist at the man's jaw, which thankfully forced him away. An angry snarl and her face snapped to the side, the stinging on her cheek registering as a hand tangled in her hair to drag her away.

_The bandit staggered from the punch as she stood stock-still with shock, a fifteen year old completely confused…_

She must've yelled, because another hand clamped across her mouth, muffling the protests she shrieked into the hallway. But the music was too loud in the ballroom. Nobody would hear her. Another door was opened, and she was tossed inside.

_The man came onto her again, throwing her to the ground, and an outcrop of rock penetrated her back of her side, tender flesh ripping open where the rib-bones couldn't protect her…_

Instead of ground a bed caught her, tangling with her dress to keep her trapped. The black-haired man laughed, proclaiming something about enjoying fiery spirit before climbing on top of her. His hand seized her mouth again and Lynda bit down, making him cry out. She was slapped again and she retaliated with a kick but it was no use the skirt softened the blow…

_Lynda rolled through the rocks and the man landed where she had fallen, and he screamed with the pain. Wincing at the cuts and grazes on her body Lynda ran, but he must have thrown a rock because she was down again, wailing at a throbbing shoulder-blade…_

Lynda punched again, this time in the gut as the man that straddled her tried to undo his shirt. The noble grunted and Lynda rolled, scattering pillows and herself to the floor. She tried to pick herself up but she couldn't because of the skirt, this stupid dress, just because she was a woman, a weak, helpless _woman_…

_With knife and hands the bandit landed on her, squashing her throat as he ripped at her tunic, pressing his face into the bare flesh of her stomach as soon as he found it. Lynda screamed._

"Silence harlot!" the Noble-blooded man cried out angrily, "I've had enough of this struggling!"

He pulled at the blankets of the bed and smothered her, weighing down on the skirt and her legs, and he straddled her once more.

"No! No, no, _no_!"

Lynda's punches and attacks became less accurate and powerful as he grabbed at her hands, pinning them above her head with a giant hand. She squirmed fruitlessly as he used his other hand and teeth to tear at her neckline, slowly but surely unravelling her.

_She kicked and punched; the man rolled off of her. Lynda scrambled to her feet then the knife he held slashed at her leg and shoulder, and he grabbed her arm and the hard, wooden, splintering hilt and the blunt but serrated edge of his knife scraped savagely over her forehead, he had her once more, and redness that was but wasn't blood flowed over her vision…_

Last time she had been in the forest. Home territory. The bandit had been half starved and affected by the Forest's curse. He'd had a weapon she could use against him, a knife she'd grabbed to stab him again and again and again and again and again, until every part of her was speckled with blood, her hands and wrists drowned in the haunting liquid.

That was last time. This time she had nothing.

Hot tears she had not allowed all those years ago burned down her cheeks as she screamed.

* * *

So yeah, that's it for me for this week. I've got exams so I won't be writing for a while, maybe two weeks till my next update? Three weeks at most.

Please don't hate me.

Both for updates and for this chapter itself. Please, also, review.

With Love, S.S.


	15. Healing

Three weeks! Just as promised people! Ha! Damn, I'm really getting better at this. Remeber the times I reviewed every two months? Damn, those times were sad...

But now, that torture is over! (I hope).

Now, for the reveiwers!

**_Sachiko V_: **Yeah, I guess the reasons for fearing touch could be very limited. But it's good to know I hid it well with her stubborn attitude and all that. I'm glad the parallel thing worked. It was a little different to what I had planned it go before (the bandit was supposed to drown in a bog, because I don't like Lynda being a killer) but that's life you, I guess. and here's the installment, I hope you like it. Actually, it's kinda sad to say this, but this story isn't that original. When I first came to I read this story 'Boy who is not a boy' by I don't know who it was from, But I got the idea from there. But the characters' attitudes are all mine! Yay! I don't have much of a gift for telling sotries, really. I just like writing in general XP.

_**Hero of Times**: _Yes, you mentioned 'no' several times. But it happened. I'm glad you liked the chapter though. Hopefully this'll cheer you up.

**_Meg_: **You would've been appalled if you started reading this earlier. Sometimes I didn't update every two months or something. Thank you for considering my story to be interesting, you don't know how much that means to me. Yeah, Sheil's going to do some saving, but Lynda will do some saving later on too, so no worried on that. And I passed my exams!! Avergae of 54 percent.

**_Dragongal333_: **Yes, Lynda is in deep shit. But all will be okay! Yes, I am evil but the funny thing is, Evil people tend to make good stories, LOL. I hope you like the outcome of this chapter better.

**_Suethe_**: Yes, Lynda. I hope some of your ideas were in this chapter, so it makes you feel happy. The noble may survive, maybe not. I was going to let him love just for you, but Sheik wouldn't let me. Meh, evil Sheikah teenager for you, no? Thank you for liking the Gardent hat ruined my life thing. I thought it fitted.

**_liitlegreenparrot_**: Sorry it took so long to update, but believe you me, I would've updated if I could've. Anyway, thank you for the gold star, and i hope you enjoy.

**_Louiii_**: Here it is, Louiii! I hope you like it!

**_Please review!_**

* * *

_**Healing**_

Lynda shivered in her corner, the sheets from the bed wrapped tightly around her curled form, Navi her only companion in the dark expanse of her room. The ghosts of sensations and noises haunted her, the scraping of that bastard's teeth against her throat, his hands gripping her wrists in a strangling hold, the shouts and screams that weren't her own penetrating her ears as armour and pikes and angry cries tussled against the weight that had straddled her, the only glimmer of hope being Navi that had wailed and encased her in light while everything was such a mess of bodies and metal and screams…

She couldn't remember what happened after that. A mere blur of maids and sorcerers and assurances that she was still _pure_.

The tears fell, scalding her cheeks once more as the shame and hate and the rage fought against each other inside.

Her fists shook at the nerve of the castle and its opinion. 'It was over, there was nothing to worry about' her _arse_. All that mattered to _them_ was that she was _pure_ and that was it. Oh, you'll get over the trauma, no worries! The promises of punishment were thin and vague, and most of all half-hearted. After all, that bastard was still alive and kicking around in his room at the very moment.

What enraged and shamed Lynda most was the fact that she was terrified. Terrified of the possibility of him coming back, of the memories and the ghosts that resurfaced because of him, the bandit and the berries and the blood that spattered over her hands…

She had to escape.

"Lynda…?" Navi asked, hesitantly, sensing the power building up, the fear and the need of solitude fuelling the spell.

"I'm sorry," was all she said before Lynda flashed green and disappeared.

The fairy sunk to the floor in shock and grief for being left behind. Her glow flickered and began to shrink, slowly but surely, dieing out.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik checked up on Lynda's room as soon as it was completely dark, not wanting to alarm anybody of his presence. He didn't know exactly why he was checking up on her, but he was having one of those urges that he couldn't quite suppress, the ones that had started since he'd laid eyes on the Princess in the Lost Woods. They generally involved her too.

Cursing himself for the weakness that just wouldn't go away, he phased through a wall to reach her room, immersing himself in shadow.

He found nothing except for the fading fairy.

"Navi," he commented, unsure whether the dieing light of the fairy meant that she was falling asleep, or in fact, literally dieing. Unwilling to find out practically, Sheik knelt on the floor and pooled all the magic he could possibly gain into his hand and scooped the fairy up with it. Navi gave a protesting whimper, and thankfully her light didn't shrink any further.

"Navi," he uttered her name with purpose this time, "Where's Lynda?"

"I don't know," Navi moaned, and Sheik suddenly thought of a young girl crying, lost and broken and despairing. "She left me, she left without me she's _never_ done that _ever_, she-"

"It's going to be alright," he whispered, hopefully encouragingly as he fed more magic into his hand, "Navi, you did good calling for help. Nobody could've come any faster if it weren't for you."

"…Really?"

"Really." Sheik repeated, because it seemed to be helping in lightening up the Fairy, and it was simply the truth. If he hadn't heard Navi screaming at the top of her ethereal voice… the results would've been a whole lot less innocuous.

"And I know another way you could help her," he found himself saying, the plan forming in his mind as he spoke, "Two things. Helping Lynda is one thing, the other… how do you feel about revenge?"

"…Why?" Navi sniffed, fluttering her wings to hover over Sheik's hand,

"Pravus, the noble that atta-"

"He is _not_ a noble!" Navi screeched in outrage, her light flashing the brightest orange, "He is a _bastard_! A nut-job! A sick minded noob! He is a _sono, fab, ITCH_!"

"…What?"

"Carry on," the fairy huffed, fluttering her wings with dignity, "I've had my rave and now I'm willing to hear the plan on revenge, because I have no grounds against it."

"Well-"

"Wait, isn't the castle going to punish him?"

"About that see-"

"What about Zelda? Or the King, aren't they going to do anything?"

"If you'd jus-"

"Stop your mumbling and get on with it!"

Sheik held back the greatest urge to squash this blue light of holiness and pure light magic before gritting out, "As I was saying before… Pravus, the, bastard, who attacked Lynda. As a… ugh, look he has high status. And that means a lot to these people, as stupid as it sounds. With status comes connections like trade and what-not. So, depending on the connections, or the lack of them his family's got, his punishment can vary."

"Are you saying that-!?"

"Pravus's biggest punishment's going to be demotion from his title, disownment from his treasures and wealth, and exile from this country. That's only if we're extremely lucky."

"_Vwat_!?"

"I'm sure Zelda's working on it to get it as closely to that as possible-"

"But that's not enough, that-"

"I agree, n-"

"Stop interrupting me!"

Again, that murderous urge. But for Lynda's sake Sheik controlled his shaking fists and gently uncurled them. Goddesses how could the Hero of Time stand this _pest_?

"Now, what were you saying?"

"I was _saying_," Sheik strangled out as a vein throbbed madly in his neck, "That you're _right_, it won't be enough. But Zelda's hands are tied; as a Princess of this castle and the heir to the throne, she can't order an execution. So, I was thinking we call in reinforcements and wreak our own revenge."

Navi seemed to rebuke the idea when she suddenly stopped. She was silent as she vibrated her wings madly, as if she were thinking things through really, really hard. Sheik could almost here the chime in her thoughts as she came to the conclusion of, "You're not serious."

"Oh yes I am," he smirked, like a hungry shark just having found his first piece of easy prey,

"But isn't getting them involved against the rules!? … _Are _we talking about the same people, you know, just for the record?"

"By the way you're reacting, yes; we're talking about the same people. But think of it this way. It's the month of Light now, so all the others are allowed to do as they please at this point and time. Punishing a villain for a crime against a friend shouldn't count as an abuse of power. I can open a portal for you; they'll lead to all of them in time. Tell them what happened to Lynda and meet up at… I don't know. You decide."

"But what about…?"

"Leave Lynda alone for now; it was what she wanted. But as soon as you've done that, I need you to get the girl Lynda's so fond of, the one she spends time with in the mornings. I'll assign another girl to you, and the three of you are going cheer Lynda up. I can see the rift her portal's left. It's messy, so it should easily-"

"This is no time to be pedantic, soldier!" she yipped, erecting her wings regally, "Now give me the portal to our Generals because I am the Spiritual guide and I need to get them all to discuss our counterattack!"

"Yes ma'am," Sheik smiled as he opened a tunnel in time and space, a tunnel that branched across the four corners of Hyrule.

Navi shot through, and Sheik closed the portal behind her.

That part of the puzzle revealed, Sheik decided to visit the prisoner.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Everything that was worth money had been taken away. Clothes, cutlery, perfume, jewellery, mirror, even paper and ink which could be used for letter writing or bribe. All that was left in his possession was the clothes he wore, and he had been moved to a modest room with only a room and bedside table. There was no lamp, just a measly candle, and a copy of the Book of Mudora, the holy text every respectable child in the country knew about and had learnt some of the historical and legendary text off by heart. The man couldn't believe that the only source of entertainment was something that he'd been forced to read every week at mass…

He distastefully kicked at the foot of the bed, bored out of his mind.

"My, my, Pravus," a voice snickered in the empty room, "You're quite the impatient thing aren't you?"

The noble whirled and met a man leaning against the wall of his prison, a cloth mask over his nose and an eye covered with a fringe. The red eye and the attire of his people Pravus remembered well.

"What are you doing here, _sentesan_?"

"Are you really in the position to be acting like that?" Sheik asked back curiously, cocking his head to the side, "I mean, nearly violating the Royal Princess of Hyrule… you've got guts, I'll give you that,"

Pravus's eyelid twitched at the teasing tone. "I repeat; what are you doing here? Answer me!"

The Sheikah screwed his eyes shut in pain, and his breath hitched at the sudden intrusion of magic. But slowly his own power seeped through the bonds, easing the hold, getting his muscular control back.

With great relish, Sheik replied, "No."

The noble's grey eyes widened. "What!?"

Sheik snickered. "Don't get your cape in a twist, my Lord, I was only kidding,"

Red eyes narrowed; a shark-like grin grew under the cowl. "I was just wondering how you were spending your last hours of health and sanity, is all."

Pravus watched the Sheikah carefully and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Sheik shrugged smugly. "Oh, just saying that as Royalty, and considering her past, Princess Lynda has a lot of friends. I wonder what they'll do to you once they find out what you did?"

The noble snorted and snickered. "That's a good one, _harlot_. But don't you see; this may be a chance for me. If I had, as you so delicately put it, _violated_ her, the King would be far too happy to give her to me. A spoilt woman would be worthless; I'm sure nobody would have her except for me, since I've tasted her first…"

Sheik's lip twitched upwards. "Sorry, but she's still pure, as the castle gents would like to put it."

"It doesn't matter; do you really think the castle will prosecute me because of the faults on the servants' part? _They_ were the ones who dressed her so unjustly, and it was the Queen who hosts your kind of profession. I don't think the king would _dare_."

"Nonetheless, you hurt her." Sheik stated bluntly, "You're going to pay for it."

"Maybe, but not much," Pravus waved his hand airily, grinning smugly, "I'll still have my title, I'll still have my coffer of riches in my mansion, even if it'll deplete by a couple of pegs…"

Sheik burst out laughing, and the madness and glee it held made Pravus nervous. The slave-boy calmed down after a while, a tear of mirth touching the corner of his eye. "Oh, you have no idea… no idea…" he cackled, shaking his head sympathetically, "Pravus, you're screwed. You really, really are."

"You will refer to me as _Lord_, slave. You have no right to speak to me like this," Pravus snarled, grey eyes narrowing, "You're but a mere servant! Kneel on the floor, where you belong!" The noble pointed his finger to the floor to emphasise the point.

Again, Sheik said with relish, "_No_."

Pravus's jaw went slack.

"Because, you see, I have connections you'd only dream of having. I know all about your little exploits, Lord Sceleris, and I know you've been _very _busy. Logging in the north-west corner of the Lost woods, mining in the underbelly of Death Mountain to avoid paying the Gorons, I heard you hired some bandits to raid a Gerudo encampment, but I'm guessing it didn't work out so well. Good thing you haven't begun to leech off the Zoras, because then you would've been in much deeper shit than you already are."

Then Sheik cocked his head to the side as he thought over his speech and watched Pravus go pale at the same time, "But then again, I find it hard to comprehend a worse scenario at this point and time…"

"Do you really think that the King will believe you?" Pravus hissed, glaring at the Sheikah, "You, a filthy, worthless, whore? You're lower than the peasant; your word would worth dust!"

"Not to the Holy Sages."

"Phah! The Priests of Time will never invite a Sheikah into their-"

"You misunderstood me. I meant the _Holy_ Sages. As in, the ones you heard so much about in the Book of Mudora. Yes, given my past they would be reluctant to trust me, but once they hear what you've done to their territory, their resources, their people and would-have-been-fiancé, I think they'd be willing to work with me. Oh, and I'm telling you this not to warn you, or give you advice on how to get away with it. I'm just here to torment you about how stuffed you are."

Pravus laughed. He was about to say something condescending when he yelped and took a step back, finding the Sheikah standing _right_ in front of him.

"And here's something else: You hurt the _Hero of Time_. You, will, _pay_**.**"

Then there was a flash of light and Sheik disappeared. Pravus gave a nervous shiver before ordering someone to get him ready for sleep.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Pravus woke up from his sleep dazed and frightened, as if he'd experienced a nightmare he couldn't recollect. His body shivered at the faint recollections of shadows and demons, of rows and rows of gleaming white teeth that howled into the moon as they ripped prey apart. The nobleman ordered candles to be lit, to stave off the dim of predawn.

Somehow this day, he was afraid of the dark.

Breakfast in the form of fruit, water and bread was provided, and Pravus ate hungrily. But upon eating his third grape he coughed, gagged and spluttered, air trapped in his lungs as he struggled with his throat, and only when he thought he was going to die, a giant gnat shot through his mouth, rolling dead onto the floor.

Pravus screamed. "How _dare you_!" he whirled onto the servants, all women, and they cowered. "That insect nearly poisoned me! Do you enjoy seeing a noble in pain? Do you think it _funny_ to see me suffer!? _YOU_!"

A woman flinched under the finger that pointed at her and nodded acknowledgment. "Why not have a sample?"

The servant carefully lifted a grape and slipped it into her mouth, waiting for a gnat or something big and crawly to scuttle down her throat. Instead, it was the best thing she'd ever tasted.

She gave back the bowl, and Pravus reached for an apple. Its stem cut his thumb, instantly drawing blood.

"Argh!"

The bowl was tossed to the floor with a resounding ring, and the fruit scattered around the floor, half of them visibly rotten. With an enraged shout the Pravus declared, "I'll have all your heads for this!"

They fled, promises of painful punishment for the injustice ringing in their ears. Once they were gone, Pravus grabbed the goblet full of water and swallowed it down, muttering curses to himself. He knuckled his lips and poured himself another cup of water, thirsty. He finished it. He wanted more. He poured another and another, but water bit into his throat, stealing the dampness, deepening his thirst. And his hands, his hands, they were so cold from the liquid, burning like ice, freezing him to the bone…

He pushed the empty goblet away from himself and it shattered on the floor, leaving him gasping for water, anything to quench his cursed throat, and warmth, he wanted warmth, the chill from the water had spread through his veins, stealing heat from his very blood.

He ordered wine, despite the early morning and ordered firewood for the hearth.

The grumbling servants brought them, and the fire was stoked.

"Leave," Pravus muttered, and everybody left, talking amongst themselves, about how the Lord didn't seemed fazed about the fact that he was ordering around the _Princess's_ servants, the one he'd sent into hiding the last night, the one that came back soaking wet and cold, her eyes haunted, the one that had her smile taken from her, that smile and laugh and friendliness that all the lowly folk of the castle had come to share and love…

The grumbles were turning to resentment.

Pravus shivered as he knelt by the fire, adding more wood to the flames. Feeling impatient and shivery, Pravus pulled the bed-sheets around his form, huddling near the fire as close as he dared. But the warmth would not come; the sweat formed, but he was still shivering, so cold, so cold, it was like the dancing flames were shunning him of the delightful warmth…

Nonsense, Pravus told himself as he added two more hefty logs into the fire, if that were the case, that would mean the water wasn't doing its job to quench him and the plants… it was just a fluke.

But what if, what if, the flames sang to him, orange tongues licking at his nerves, what if this was a curse; a warning form the spirits, the great punishment the Sheikah told you about? You're such a loser, loser, loser; you're such a loser…

"_Shut up_!" Pravus screamed at the singing flames, and he tried grabbing at them, to steal their warmth to utilize one of the roaring embers, and he screamed again at the burning agony, the coal and wood seething right through the sheets and into his hands. The fire grabbed on and latched onto the linen, and soon he was a ball of flames.

His screaming alerted the guards and they quickly doused him out. They began to have the sneaking suspicion that this Prince was lost in the mind.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Light flashed; the darkness parted and ushered out two and a half figures before closing, leaving them in the middle of the Lost Woods.

None of them were really happy to be there.

Navi fluttered nervously, not familiar with the part of the Forest. It didn't help that she had two Hylians under her care, the one named Pell and another one called Yana, although Navi had no clue why she was sticking around. Well, Sheik had recommended her, so it had to be for something important, surely?

Trust Sheik, Navi told herself, There's no time for worries now.

"This way," the fairy instructed firmly, "Now don't get lost; you'll end up something nasty if you don't."

Pell gulped bravely and strode on, coat billowing around her. Yana jumped and lunged after Pell, barely stopping herself from latching onto the servant girl's elbow, fearing the prospect of 'nasty'. Instead she tightened the hold she had on her cloak, stepping uncomfortably closely to the servant girl. Navi followed the distinct feel of Lynda's aura, something the Hylians would think it coloured as midnight, with tiny moons flickering in and out of stringy clouds. The moons used to be a lot bigger and the stringy midnight clouds had been a lot thinner, but that had changed over the lost seven years and the time she spent growing up; it had changed deeply two years ago, at the Incident…

Navi pushed on a little faster, refusing to let Lynda alone longer. It had taken over half an hour to gather everyone in an isolated patch in the field and tell them what had happened. Impa had already known, and took the meeting gravely. Nabooru had been livid. Ruto had been horrified. Darunia had been enraged.

Nobody could've matched Saria's wrath, though.

After a heated discussion between Impa and Nabooru about whether it was against regulations to attack the Lord with their sagely powers, Impa had said she would not get involved and had teleported away. Only then did Sheik come, providing information that would've backed them up on their reasons of attack.

Saria wasn't there to listen. She had already stormed the castle in her spiritual form, placing traps anywhere and everywhere.

Navi wondered why there was so much mistrust between the Sages and Sheik, but the fairy dismissed it for now, concentrating solely on finding Lynda.

"… This place smells of bad eggs," Pell noted, screwing her face at the odour,

"And it's awfully humid," Yana added, still not quite sure why Sheik had ordered her to accompany the Princess's 'rescue mission'…

"Oh no," was Navi's reply, and she zoomed forward to a distant noise, something the Hylian's hadn't noticed until it had grown in volume.

They scrambled after the fairy, fearing the woods, its hidden secrets, the dark, and were swallowed by roaring steam and the hideous stench of rotten eggs. They had arrived at a natural spring, fed by the underside of Death Mountain and its volcanic heat.

Navi saw the Princess first, submerged in the heated waterfall that fed into the steaming lake. "Lynda!"

There wasn't even a twitch from the figure in the water.

"Can one of you get to her?!" Navi pleaded hysterically, "I can't, I can't go through solid things without help usually water's okay but the force of the fall would tear my wings apart and I can't help without my wings but it'd be okay for you because you have proper bodies and-"

"Navi, it's alright, I'll go, don't worry," Pell soothed, cupping the distressing fairy in her hands, gently guiding her in Yana's way, "Keep her safe while I'm going."

"A-al-alright," Yana stuttered worriedly, her eyes flicking to the left and right. She watched Pell sit at the edge and remove her boot and socks. She bunched up her skirt and tied a knot to keep it above the water, revealing an almost indecent amount of legs. The servant girl warily looked at the steaming water. If the Princess could bear it, surely she could? It couldn't be that bad…

Pell dipped her foot in, and gave a scream-like yelp as she retracted. The appendage was already red from the heat.

Pell scrambled from the lip of the lake, horrified. "Just how long has she been in there?"

"This heat won't burn her, she's tougher than that," Navi replied shakily,

"But it means none of us can get in," Yana pointed out shakily, fearing the possibility of the fairy ordering her to go into the hot water. The glowing orb had magical authority behind, and compared to that, what was she? It wouldn't matter to anyone if she got severely burnt in the water. After all, she was just a prostitute.

"_No_! I'm not letting her get away with this!" Navi burst through the air, screaming the Princess's name.

The Hylians had no time to even cry out before the frail fairy plunged into the vicious currents.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The water soothed her, having gotten used to it overpowering heat.

Lynda sat in the middle of the torrent that hammered down on her shoulders, streaming through her hair, surging across her nightgown. She was safe in the liquid walls, safe from the cold, from the touch of any man or woman, from everything that existed. The intense heat burned away the sense of touch, and she was blissfully numb to the bruises on her arms, the old scars on her body from Termina, Holodrum, the Windfish's island.

She hugged her knees as her forehead perched on the peak of her legs, the spring teasing over the bridge of her nose and her lashes. Solitude was her friend.

"_Liiii…nnnn…daaa…_"

Lynda gave a watery sigh as she wondered vaguely who that was. Her head felt so dim from the water and its temperature… what would happen if she fainted…?

"_Lynda_!"

Hearing her name, the Princess tilted her head squinting through the wavering wall. That blue light… Was it…

It tried to plunge through the wall. It was thrown into the lake and its jagged rocks instead.

"NAVI!!"

The Princess lurched forward and the lake slapped her face and stomach, clawed at her eyes for opening them, and her Navi, dearest Navi was being spun around like a rag doll, her tissue delicate wings being torn asunder…

"_NO_!"

Lynda's hands cupped around the light, and she rushed up to the surface, gasping and tears streaming at the bitter night air and the sodden remains of her fairy, her longest friend, her only friend, sorry, so sorry she didn't mean any of this to happen…

"Navi," Lynda sobbed, "Navi, Navi don't do this to me, please you left me once already please don't do this to me, please, please, Navi, c'mon please…"

Navi's right wing gave a twitch. "M gla, yer… 'ka…" the fairy slurred, and Lynda sobbed again. "Hey… lis'n, y'g… friends…Pel'n'Yin…ah…"

"You first, Navi, you first," Lynda murmured, begging the mark on her hand to work, she knew she hadn't been that courageous lately and she was sorry, she was _sorry_, just work, please work, she promised she'd be good, do good, go over every quest as Hero of Time a hundred times if she had to, just please, please, save her…

Her left hand glowed, and gently, Navi's wings knitted and re-grew, tougher, longer, elegant and majestic. Navi grunted, and her wings twitched again. But they were too sodden to lift just yet. Lynda didn't mind.

"Hey," Navi muttered sleepily, "If you let me sleep a mo, I'll forgive you?"

"Please do, Navi," the Princess sighed, a spilling to the lake, "Anything for you."

"There're some people who think the same for you, too, you know, just on the bank there," Navi sighed back, her wings curling around her light, completely encasing it, like a paper lantern that could sit perfectly in the hollow of Lynda's palm. Navi had never slept like that before.

Lynda looked up and saw Pell with a girl she had never seen before, an unfamiliar face that was slowly dawning with understanding. Pell huffed and brought her fists to her hips, a tired grin hitched on her face. "My, my, Princess," she teased, "No boiled shrimp in all of the world could match your scarlet hue."

Lynda had enough decency to blush, but it was impossible to tell because of the afore mentioned skin-colour. She shivered in the cool night breeze and to top it all off, gave a trumpeting sneeze. Pell winced. "Come up here darling, you can have my coat."

"And my cloak," Yana added helping the Princess up from the bank, carefully manoeuvring around the sleeping fairy. The two girls quickly dressed Lynda up, and while she was dizzy and had pins and needles all over her body, they decided it was not in her interests to be moving just yet. They huddled on the lip of the lake, and Lynda murmured an apology.

"Excuse me," she added apologetically, "Do I know you?"

"No," Yana replied, "My name is Yana, and… I was sent here to console you, I think."

Lynda lifted an inquisitive eyebrow and Yana continued, "I… I believe I know what you're going through, Princess, because… I… I am, was, well…"

"It …happened to you, too…?"

Yana nodded painfully, "I just want you to know, that this is not our shame. We cannot help being women, and we cannot help being a little disadvantaged physically compared to men. But my mother used to tell me something. That, we, as women, we should be proud. The goddesses made us first. They took a rib from us and made man, to protect us, to keep us fed, to ensure our wellbeing. We are the image of the Goddesses."

Yana looked at Lynda and gave a smile that flashed white in the night. "Master Pravus will be punished, Princess. If not by the Royal highness, if not by us servants, it would be by the goddesses. And the Triforce, too."

Lynda took some comfort in that, and sneezed.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Pravus Sceleris. From this day on, you are exiled form this country, and all your estates on this lands shall be pillaged and destroyed. Leave this court at once."

The man gave a feverish nod and his servants helped him turn and walk out the door, trying to avoid touching the clothes that were soaking in sweat. After the accident in his room he had been advised to walk through the gardens to take a break, and it had been the worst walk in his entire life.

The roses he tried to pick cut him. The trees he tried to rest under either dropped all kinds of bugs, seeds, fruits and pods on him, or whispered menacing promises of poison, staring him away. Some pollen from a flower had made him sneeze and his eyes water, fruit juice tasted sour and off, bees stung him, gnats bit him, birds did their business on his shoulder. He was glad to leave the castle and its country. Glad beyond measure to escape.

Sheik smirked as the doors closed behind the noble. The curse of the Forest would follow him to the last breathe. The bad news for him that he was going to live. The worst news was that his life would most-likely end right at the border of the country. The other sages had decided to let Saria do the rest of the revenging, but Sheik wasn't so generous when it came to those things.

The Sheikah brought up the image of Pravus in his mind and muttered some spells under his breath. His words promised nightmares. Despair with each step, for every sort of loss Pravus had ever endured. Irrational fear of the dark. Hate towards human touch.

Because that was what Lynda had gone through. And that bastard was going to pay.

"Savir."

The teenager didn't jump. He turned and met cold-blood. "Hello."

"You did that to him, didn't you."

"Me?" Sheik asked, as he subtly cut pieces off of his shadow, pulling them over his skin, shaping them as they crawled over his flesh, "You must be mistaken."

Impa frowned. "Show me your binds, Savir."

Sheik pretended to resent the order before rolling up his sleeves, where all the links to his chains were there. Impa's frown deepened, and Sheik, rolling his eyes, pulled the collar of his tunic down, revealing the fully functioning marks around his neck and throat.

"See?" he said, "No magic."

Impa still looked suspicious but she turned in the end, walking away.

Sheik smirked wider, his eyes wild with savage triumph. He lifted his wrist and half of the marks dripped and melted, sliding over his skin, pooling into his shadow once more. The same went for his throat, the cool shadow slithering under his shirt to drip down onto the ground, melting into his shadow. He was bound, but he could use his magic again.

Unbeknownst to Zelda, Sheik was laughing.

_Ni aigh, Ruyelte. Ni aigh_. That was what he had said. One day, Lords. One day.

He had control once more._ This_ was the day.

* * *

Hmmm... Sheik doesn't seem to be doing much 'Healing'... ah, well. Hopefully it'll be in the next chapter. And I'm itching fo rcuteness. I want CUTENESS!!

And reviews, please. Wuv yuuuuu!


	16. Dark Dreams

Hello everybody! Damn, I'm getting really really good at updating regularly! Woot! So, yeah, anyway, thank you all for reading so far into this story, I can't believe I'm nealr up to 150 reviews. I mean, it's insane. Those kinds of numbers usually go to good people, and I never, ever, ever thought that I would be considered good.

Thankyou, so, so, much.

Now, the review replies.

**_The Ninja Squirrel_: **Lemon? What lemon? I'm pretty sure I didn't write a lemon... Where was the lemon? I can't believe it seemed like a lemon... I don't like lemons, much see. So... huh. Oh yeah, go Saria for her revengeness! What I meant to say about Sheik's healing was that Sheik needs to do some healing of his own, since, he's kinda messed up and evil now. He was the one supplied Pravus' nightmares, if you wanted to know. Huh, I kinda thought the whole evil-ness might be attractive in Sheik, but... guess not. But he'll become good, I promise!  
Lucky. My summer's at the end of the year, so i don't get a long break till Christmas. SOB!!

**_Meg_:** What I meant to say that when I was uploading chapters one to I dunno, five, sometimes the chapters took two months to update. It was pretty bad for the reputation of this fic, lol. No, I see where you're getting at with the whole, 'can make torturous backstories for characters but can't make them in present tense', thing. That's pretty much what I'm doing here, because Sheik's attitude is the result of the horrible past. Shall be explained in further chapters.

**_The Silverdark Knight_:** Thankyou for your compliment. I just thought with the whole, long friendship concerning time and the connectiosn they have with being freed from Ganondorf by Lynda, I thought the Sages would be really into saving Lynda back, kind of thing. I understand if I don't make any sense. Let's just consider the Sages anger as... repayment for Lynda's work as Hero of Time. Sheik's story will most likely be in the next chapter.

**_Grogert331_: **I hope you like this!

**_Herooftimes_:** lol, thanks for your compliment. I was going to get Lynda to translate, by saying it was a phrase Dacha had taught her but then I thought... no. I'll use it later. Yeah, I'm not much of a medic, so I can't say exactly what happens when you're in overheated water for too long, so I'm just going to cover that up by saying, Lynda is tough, so she will be okay. lol. Yeah, I thought about putting him in the Shadow Temple too, but that's Impa's territory, and since she wasn't too interested in abusing her powers... yeah. Yeah, the thing is, I don't know what happens in Holodrum and Koholint and ... somewhere. So, I was thinking, since Lynda's the honourable hero, she left everything behind in the said places because that's where they belong and it's not her right to take them anywhere she wanted. And yes, Navi's wings got stronger. I got the life-span of a Fairy idea from Batneko, I hope she doesn't mind. Thanks again for your compliment, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**_Louiii_**: Yes, men. They are cruel and must die. Well... okay, not really. Some a great, and honest and understanding... but only the very, very lucky tend to meet them. Argh. There's some cuteness in this chapter, and more in the next one, and hopefully more in the next one. Hopefully. The creation thing just pooped up in my head when I was doing the scene. I thought, since there're goddesses... why not? So there you go.

**_Dragongal333_**: GAAAAARRRRGH!! The wrath of din buuuuuurns! Must... post... before... too late... (falls to the ground unconscious, hand on mouse, having clicked the final link)

**_Sparda's Kitten_**: Thankyou, I didn't expect anybody to be so affect by the chapters. Thanks. And about Sheik, I just thought there were a lot of honourable ones, so, why not an evil one? lol.

**_Suethe_**: Damn you, lucky person! Friday off!? Shocking! Yeah, Sheik did some healing, but I was thinking about the healing he needs himself, because he is seriously messed up, no? But he will definitely be more badass. Hopefully. Actually, I was going to use the Gerudo swarm, but I decided to use them somewhere else. I thought that might be cooller, I dunno. I just wanted to demonstrate what the sages could do with their magics. Yeah, I thought Saria needed the revenging most, since like she was like Lynda's mother/sister person. Good on ya. Please tell me what sort of damage you did to him eh?

**Alright! Let's start reading!**

**_

* * *

_****_Dark Dreams_**

Sheik let out a sigh as he slipped through the corridors, the dark of night swathed over his shoulders. He was carefully avoiding the guards as he approached a certain room, knowing for a fact that if he was caught, he would be in deep, deep shit.

He wondered _exactly_ why he was doing this, and again that tiny voice in his head reminded him that he needed to make sure Lynda didn't suspect his involvement in Pravus' 'accident' and that she would still make a good pawn to manipulate. Her being sick would help with the process of digging through her thoughts, and see just how much of a hold he had on her…

But. That stupid word, that hideous _but_ had to get in there somewhere.

Was it really necessary? Wasn't the obvious trust enough? Even if Lynda suspected his involvement, wouldn't she be glad? She wouldn't tell anybody about his magic, she wouldn't see any need to it. And manipulating her… when it came to fights, maybe he could do it, but what was the point in any other field? She had no interest in politics or power or any duty that had to do with being royalty. She was almost an innocent, a victim. Surely…?

Nobody's a victim in this castle. Not even me.

Sheik reached her door and phased through, carefully stepping over the packet of marbles Lynda had pressed against the door. She was curled into the thick duvet, sweat glistening against her forehead, the damp cloth that had been placed across her brow now uselessly wetting the pillow. Tissues littered the floor, and her breathing was laboured at best. He could see that she was subconsciously breathing through her mouth to ease the strain, but that had made her lips dry and cracked.

She had never looked more vulnerable and child-like and innocent and… Sheik dared not go further than that, in case he dwelled into places he didn't want to go.

He stepped closer, and the curtain to her window fluttered. The moonlight struck her, and he was thrown back seven years, in another time altogether, when she had saved him from the Skultulas…

_No_! Don't dwell on that. Concentrate, concentrate…

Sheik kneeled in the land of tissues and brushed his fingertips against her eyelids, about to tap into her memories…

"Hey Sheik."

The Sheikah jolted, and Lynda moaned in her sleep, sounding pained on a low level. Sheik carefully looked around and Navi was fluttering over a cushion, the cushion he had thought to contain something along the lines of a hybrid between a wicker lantern and a crystal ball. "…You've changed."

"I have?" the fairy replied, fluttering her wings contemplatively, "Well, I guess the magic you two fed me yesterday kinda helped."

Sheik was careful to keep his voice down to a whisper. "Lynda did something to you?"

"Yeah, see those tissues? Put them in water and that's what my wings would've looked like before Lynda fixed me up with the Triforce."

"Ouch," Sheik commented, wincing,

"Yeah, you guys gave me one heck of a jump into my life… I might actually be able to hug you all in your lifetime."

"…Excuse me?"

"It's a fairy thing. Hey, listen, what're you doing here anyway?"

"Eh, um…" There was no way he was going to tell the truth. No way. "Just, checking up, really. Seeing how she's going through the fever."

Navi actually tilted to the side. "Why didn't you come during the day?"

"Because nobody would've let me in, considering I'm a guy."

"Ah, true," Navi concurred, perching on Sheik's shoulder. "Well, her temperature's lowered, her snuffles are awful and she insisted she had a horrible throat and headache, but it's kinda hard to say it's true, since she complained about it _non-stop_,"

If it were any other person, Sheik would've scoffed in disdain and called them a bit of a wimp. But Lynda… she was different.

Sheik frowned at himself. He was getting a bit too sentimental here…

"Is it true that fairies see things through auras?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I heard that, through them, you can guess at their dreams," Sheik admitted, because Sheikah didn't have that ability. All his people could do was See, not sense.

"You want to know what she's dreaming about." Navi asked incredulously to which Sheik hastily replied,

"In case she's experiencing mild nightmares or something. I know a spell against that."

Navi gave a resigned sound before perching on top of Lynda's temple. Her wings fluttered again before she said, "Well, dreams flit all over the place, so it's kinda hard to tell what's going on. Mostly it's… happy stuff, memories… fantasies…"

Sheik was questioning himself about why he had wanted to know about Lynda's dreams when Navi squeaked. "Sheik," she said, very, very quietly and deliberately, "You have to get out. Now."

"What…?" he leaned his face closer to the fairy's, trying to hear what she was trying to say, "What did…?"

Sheik didn't let himself finish, because movement made him look down. Movement of eyelashes. A face screwing up, a gentle moan crossing the waking lips, eyes half-mast drifting across his face, a hand gently moving up to knuckle the sleep crusted over sapphire orbs…

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, if she woke up now, if she saw him in her room so damn close and personal, her trust would be completely and utterly lost…

"_Go Link go_!" Navi suddenly screeched, "C'mon before he flashes again!"

Sheik's rising panic only accelerated when something catapulted in his stomach, smacking the air right out of his lungs. He grunted as he crashed into the floor, pain erupting in his skull as it hit the corner of a cabinet.

And those eyes, those midnight eyes were still half-mast, so close to sleep but not close enough, he had to do something before it got too sticky…

"Let go of me, Hero," Sheik gritted out, the words fuelled by panic and pain and an extreme case of dejavu.

"Nm," Lynda's muttered, gaze drifting away from his eyes as they closed, the grip she had on him loosening, rubbing her nose against his stomach, her breathing evening out, "Ngnnywh… ansrs…"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Let go of me, Hero!" A Sheikah spat, mask covering his nose, wild blond hair sticking out of a cap of bandages. He was trying to prize off some muscular arms from his waist without hurting the owner of the arms, but he was failing miserably due to the stubborn nature of the appendages.

In other words, the grip on his waist only tightened.

"No," the Hero of Time replied bluntly, fingers digging into Sheik's suit for good measure. "You're not going anywhere without some answers."

"_Go Link go! Woooo!_" Navi yelled, doing a victory pattern in the air.

"Besides," Link added playfully, "You're warm."

Sheik growled and banged the back of his head to the icy floor, muttering something unintelligible. Link giggled (yes, _giggled_) and buried his nose into Sheik's stomach, revelling in the small victory of capturing his guide. He didn't know how hard he was holding Sheik, but he hoped it wasn't too strong or too weak, since his hands were too numb to tell the difference. His boots were tightly wound around Sheik's left leg, and if he hadn't been a ten-year old at heart, he would've noticed how provocative the position they were in, was.

But alas, he didn't notice.

"So," Link started, trying to keep his teeth from chattering, "Why do you always disappear?"

"Considering the fact that Ganondorf wants to decorate his bedchambers with your entrails, I thought it wise to keep my distance from you."

"…What's entrails?"

"Oh my, Din."

Navi giggled.

"But I get the idea, so, you don't have to explain." Link supplied hopefully, trying to stay in Sheik's good books, "I like the sound of the word, though. Entrails. It rhymes with… um… something."

Around Link's arms, Sheik's muscles briefly tensed before relaxing, resigned to the madness of the situation. For now.

"Why do you help me?" Link hurried on, now seriously worried he had upset Sheik,

"Ganondorf's not a nice guy, is he?" Sheik sarcastically replied, and Link again, _giggled_, uneasily.

"Yeah, you're right. He needs to go down."

"What do you want from me, Hero?" Sheik spat, leaning over to the side to glare at the childish eyes. Link, seeing the anger, felt small and unwanted, like when he was with the Kokiri, like when he was in Kakariko, like when he looked at the destroyed Castle Town and how he could've helped but didn't, how Princess Zelda had completely disappeared…

"What I mean to say," Sheik continued more kindly, propping himself up with his arms, "What exactly is it that you want to know from me? I thought I explained clearly enough about who I am."

Link, encouraged by the kind tone continued, "Yeah, I know you're Sheikah, but, what's your favourite colour?"

Sheik's visible eye widened. "You want to know… my _favourite colour_."

"I was guessing blue, because you wear it so much, kinda like me with green, but you never know because Navi's blue but her favourite colour's pink."

"You didn't need to tell him that!"

"But you told me," Link lamely defended before returning his gaze to the Sheikah, "So, what's your favourite colour?"

"…Black," Sheik sighed, finally giving up.

"Favourite food?"

"I don't have one."

"Really?" Link asked incredulously, "I like pumpkin."

"…Pumpkin."

"Don't you like pumpkin?" Link asked worriedly at the flat tone.

Sheik gave one last desperate attempt at escaping, but Link wasn't the Hero of Time for nothing. He sighed and settled into the icy floor, pooling his magic into the deku-nut in his hand, the one he was going to use as soon as the cursed hero let him go.

"… I don't mind pumpkin," Sheik finally said, and Link could tell that the guide didn't enjoy the heart-to-heart conversation Link had painstakingly thought through. Link decided that he might as well let him go; he was feeling sleepy anyway…

"Fine. Why don't you just disappear…?" Link asked, hoping he didn't sound too bitter or rejected. Sheik bounded away, and lifted his arm to throw the deku-nut down… and paused. Link didn't care anymore. He just curled in on himself and settled for sleep, gently closing his eyes…

"Hero," Sheik said, keeping his eyes open forcefully, "Don't fall asleep,"

"Naugh, but-"

"_Don't_ fall _asleep_. You'll die if you do."

"But it's so warm…"

"No, we're in the ice caverns inhabited by monsters that have breath that will turn you to frozen statues. The waters have been solid for almost a year, and no sunlight has ever penetrated this far. You should be _cold_."

"I got used to it…"

"No, you're just _numb_. Navi, when did his teeth stop chattering?"

"Um… a couple of minutes before you arrived, really."

Sheik said a word Link had never heard before, one that sounded really bad and started with an 'f'.

Next thing Link knew, he was being lifted, but he had a distinct feeling that he was supposed to be thrown over Sheik's shoulder, not carried in a bridal lift. Was it him, or did Sheik just get real big while he was lying down, or did Link himself get smaller? And for a fleeting moment Link wondered whether his hat had fallen off, because his head felt a lot heavier with hair, and he actually felt _soft_, like his muscles hadn't been moulded into bulks just for fighting or something. But it was nice, so, he guessed he didn't mind… He had a feeling that he was supposed to start talking about what he hated most to stay awake, but he closed his eyes instead, lulled by the gentle warmth of the Sheikah, cradled against his chest as if Sheik really cared about him. Her. Nargh, who cared…?

Sheik put him down on something soft and warm, real warmth unlike the numbness of the ice caverns, and it was so unfair that he had to leave, why couldn't Sheik stay…?

The mentioned Sheikah found his wrist held in a soft grip of the subconscious, the Princess giving a sigh as her fingers curled childishly around his appendage. A rather unexpected smile twitched his lips, and he let it linger before sliding her hand away, tucking it under the duvet gently.

Navi exhaled heavily, relieved out of her light. "I can't believe that worked… Nice follow up, by the way."

"I do have to say though, that maybe if you kept quiet, I may have been able to escape with some magic of mine."

Navi huffed unceremoniously. "Believe you me; she would've woken up no matter what. I saved your butt, Sheikie-pie."

"Call me something along those lines ever again and I will snap your wings in quarters, fairy." Sheik sighed and began to clear away the pile of tissues, unconsciously aware that he didn't want to leave the room just yet, "Why did you decide to say… whatever you said to egg her on?"

Navi gave an equivalent of a shrug before saying, "Her dreams were flitting through memories. I just said what came to me first."

"Huh," he said, as he tossed the tissues in the nearby bin, "And it _had_ to involve me getting tackled in the ice caverns, didn't it."

"Oh, you remembered?"

"You think getting mauled by someone bigger than me, who happened to be quite ready to let me go before that incident, who also happened to be saving the country, who also happened to be my only chance of freedom in all senses of the word, who _also_ happened to be very heavy, who, also, _just _so_ happened_ to be _dieing_ and needed to be carried out of the ice caverns with everything he ever owned weighing him down and with _you_ shouting my ears numb, is easy to forget? … I'm surprised I survived the trauma."

Navi giggled good-naturedly, knowing that Sheik didn't mean to sound bitter.

"She planned grabbing you since the Forest Temple. She really liked you, you know, always looking forward to seeing you when she beat a temple…"

"Why?"

Navi gave a bob that was a Hylian equivalent of a shrug. "I guess it's because you were the only one who knew that she was the Hero of Time,"

"Huh…" Sheik frowned at himself, thinking his own behaviour rather odd. Since when was he interested in trivial things like that anyway? The past was past; if it didn't hold information worthy of salvaging for the present, it was redundant. And Lynda's want to meet and talk to him was rather useless, aside form the fact that it proved she held a lot of trust towards him (whole stupid lot, really).

Sheik absently stood, brushing his hands against his shirt, giving a glance towards Lynda's way.

Something inside his chest reeled, almost hurting him.

Oh no. Oh… _no_.

"Do me a favour and don't tell her I was here, alright?" Sheik said before immersing himself in shadow, walking through the wall to get away.

This wasn't happening. This _so_ wasn't happening. He couldn't. Why would he want to? She was Zelda's _sister_! And that made her, as far as he was concerned, evil! They had similar hair, a similar face, similar height and weight, for goddesses' sake they were _twins_. Lynda should look like Zelda enough so that Sheik could despise her! And yet…

_No_. Don't go there. He didn't care for her.

He didn't.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik couldn't believe how pathetic he was. Three weeks. Three weeks he had avoided her, kept away from her in hopes of making the stupid 'twinge' in his chest go away.

He hoped Lynda hadn't noticed. Over that time all her friends had trickled in and out of the castle to share condolences and comfort. Ruto had sat at Lynda's bedside until the Hylian got well from her fever, supplying sponges from the Zora's fountain to quicken the healing process, Nabooru had given Lynda a good workout with her blade (Lynda had needed that really badly, it seemed) and Darunia and co. had raced around the castle gardens, Lynda trying vainly to catch up with them in their fruitless game of tag. Even Garth had come back, gauntlets covering the blemish on his hand, carefully avoiding looking over his shoulder for the 'Secret Keeper'.

Don't worry, Sheik told himself, Lynda wouldn't have noticed.

But Nayru it was so _pathetic_! Usually it was the other way around; people avoided _him_ because he was powerful and frightening and he conjured their nightmares just by looking them in the eye. But now, he was running from Lynda. Just because he-

Sheik turned the corner and _smack_! He toppled to the floor with something latched around his stomach, a happy squeal following close.

Oh no. Oh… _no_.

"Hi, Sheik." Lynda chuckled, grinning in childish triumph, "Gotcha."

Sheik was too busy stressing about the fact that he was stressing about Lynda's arms hugging his waist and her nose buried in his side. He should be _used_ to this, women and men alike having dragged him through their beds more times than Sheik could possibly count, but here he was, feeling uncomfortable because _Lynda_ was _hugging_ him, fully clothed. He was dismayed to realise that what he said next nearly came out in a squeak. "Was that really necessary?"

"You disappeared." Lynda countered, finally letting him go to sit by his head, "And I had to talk to you."

"What?"

"First I wanted to say sorry."

"What?"

"You know, that fight we had a couple of weeks ago. Navi said she had a feeling you had a bad day, and I had a bad day, and I just made it worse by cutting you. It's good to know you've healed, by the way."

"_What_?"

"Oh, and the sages said you helped being Pravus down, so I wanted to say thanks for that too, and-"

"_What_!?"

Navi flew out from somewhere and huffed. "You're quite intelligent at this point and time, you know that?"

Sheik finally sat himself up, trying to get out of the initial shock of Lynda's hug, "I'm sorry, just… I've been having a complicated day."

"Huh," Lynda said, looking uncomfortable, "Uh, I guess I won't burden you with this…"

"You've come, you've seen, you've conquered," Sheik muttered, sighing, "What do you want?"

Lynda blushed. _Lynda_... BLUSHED. Sheik knew _exactly_ what hell felt like. "I… I well, uh… I've been having this repetitive dream, and it felt kinda like those times I kept dreaming about Ganondorf, only these ones ain't so bad. Except I want them to go away."

Sheik couldn't believe that he actually felt rather happy at seeing Lynda stutter. "Uhuh."

"Do you think, you know, get rid of it with some Sheikah hocus-pocus? You just give the impression that you're really good at that kind of stuff…"

Sheik sighed and shook his head again. "Those kinds of dreams go away only if they're solved. Haven't you talked to Zelda?"

Lynda shifted uncomfortably, a shy and uneasy grin twitching her mouth. "It's just that… you're kinda easier to talk to, you know?"

Hell just got worse. A lot worse. Gods, she _trusted_ him! More than her bloody sister for Furore's sake, her _bloody sister_! What was up with this woman with her trust and care and honesty and that stupid, stupid _grin_?! How could just one stupid woman have such a deep effect on him? He didn't know her well, he didn't know anything about her that he would consider _worthy_ of… of _what_? Why the heck did she accomplish the impossible and make him feel _delighted_ that someone had trusted him!?

Sheik held back his outburst of _WHY!?_ And opted instead for a calm, collected, "Sheikah aren't very adept when it comes to interpreting dreams. That's more of a Hylian thing, and Zelda just happens to be a very practised prophet. It's best that you organize something with her."

"Oh… okay."

"And next time, Princess," Sheik grunted as he stood up, offering a hand to help her before he could stop himself, "Don't tackle me."

Lynda grinned, roiling the contests of his chest painfully as she did so. "And miss a chance at a small victory? Not a chance."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda inched into the room cautiously, despite the invite to come in. "Hi Zelda,"

"Hello Lynda," she replied, her nose still in her book.

"Look if you're busy, I won't bother you-"

"Oh just get in," Navi grumbled, pushing vainly at Lynda's head.

"Yes, please," Zelda said, slipping a waxed flower into the pages, "We did organize this after all."

"Alright," replied Lynda, closing the door. "It's just that, I'm thinking that maybe it's nothing to worry about now, 'cause it's not like it's harming me or anything…"

"Repetitive dreams can drive you up walls, Lynda. Both of us should know that. Please, take a seat, and we'll get started."

Lynda looked at the chair and wondered whether that was quite an accurate statement. Sure, you could sit on it, but the back of the chair was way too long and it was pretty much horizontal. More like a narrow, crooked bed rather than a chair.

Nonetheless Lynda lay down, Navi hovering over her eyes. The Princess was beginning to have doubts. "You sure this'll work?"

"Of course," Zelda said, bringing the chair she herself had been sitting on closer to her sister, "Now, whenever you're ready."

"Maybe-"

Navi began to fly in tight circles. What looked like sparkling dust fell from her, and despite the troubled look Lynda gave, she was soon down and under, sleeping and dreaming calmly.

Zelda eyed the fairy. "Are you sure that was a wise move?"

Navi shrugged. "She would've kept going on and on, believe me. She doesn't like thinking things through before doing things."

Zelda gave a small snort before weaving her magic around Lynda's eyes, thinking that personality trait very fitting for the Hero of Time. Navi settled on Lynda's forehead to make the connection easier, and soon Zelda was in.

She watched from a bird's eye view, and from Twilight a dream figure immerged, sword and shield held in hand. The figure's hair was long and unruly, the clothes torn and bloodied. The sword tip dragged on the ground, and the shield hung loosely on her side. It wore a cone hat.

Lynda. It had to be.

Zelda watched her limp through the twilight, a small star swinging at her chest, like a pendant. She was alone, and looked lost beyond return, and tired, so tired…

Two whips cracked around her, making her stumble. Like living things they yanked away her sword and shield, and just as quickly disappeared into darkness.

Lynda ran for her weapons, yelling but no sound coming out of her mouth. The weapons were part of her, part of who she was, they couldn't take it, no, it was so unfair…

They retracted back into a giant shadow, and Lynda stood in front of it, awestruck.

It was tall as three men put together, and just as wide. It pulsated like a living organ, and as far as Zelda could see, it was a giant, poisonous thorn bush.

Trying to figure out its nature, Zelda created three beings, one weak hearted, one aggressive, one sensible. She made them approach the living thing, wondering what it would do.

The sensible one looked upon it, and seeing the menace and danger, did not go too near.

The weak-hearted one looked upon it and immediately tried to hide in its power, hoping to use its greatness to advantage. But whips flashed forward and entangled upon the figure, and the essence of it was drained into the thing, and nothing was left of the weak-hearted.

The aggressive one had approached with similar intentions, but seeing the demise of the weak one, it attacked the tendril of the creature that slowed in returning, and more vines—barbed, this time—attacked back, ripping the figure to shreds, giving it the most dreadful and painful end.

The sensible one turned away in disgust, and promptly disappeared.

The figure that was Lynda stepped forward also, oblivious to the additions Zelda had created. The monster recoiled from her, its vines twisted agitatedly, obviously un-wanting of her attention. The vines made break-neck strikes towards her way but they always missed by a hair's breadth, not because Lynda was dodging but because it was deliberately missing her.

Odd, Zelda thought.

Lynda was soon right in front of it. The pulsing thorn-bush erupted in agitation before calming, almost pretending that she was not there. Both of them saw that the vines were blood-stained, carrying the mark of a dark history. Lynda placed a hand on one of the thick branches near her, and it almost purred under her touch. It produced a single flower, a white delicate thing mottled with grey, just for her.

The traitorous branch exploded into bleeding splinters, killed by its own brothers.

Lynda recoiled, and so did the thorn bush. It towered over her, and pushed her back with plain vines, the barbed ones following close. But the warrior princess wanted to know what was inside now, so she pushed forward, the branches like before striking her but never hitting her.

After some struggle, finally she reached the door. The door the Lynda in reality had complained so much about.

This was what Zelda was here for. She gently channelled some energy into the dream-Lynda as the figure pushed onto the door. And reluctantly and with much struggle, it opened.

Before her was a rack. It held all her equipment of the real world, including a simple cotton dress. Dream-Lynda looked upon it, and made to get her sword and shield. But then she seemed to remember how heavy they had been on her arms and hands, how tired she had been…

She chose and wore the cotton dress that fell down just under her knees, moving beyond the rack to see what was behind it. She could get her weapons later. They weren't lost to her, after all.

A room swallowed in half-light met her. It wasn't as dark as twilight, but then again, it wasn't much better. It was hard to believe that such a still and quiet place existed inside such a wrathful, dark, beating thing…

Lynda noticed something in the corner. A figure.

As she came near the light at her chest sparked brighter, and the figure recoiled, as if blinded for a second.

Together, the sisters saw that the figure was cloaked from head to toe, showing no skin. The hair was hidden under a traveller's turban, and the face was masked.

Lynda recognised the Fierce Deity immediately.

Lynda pushed forward to meet the god, but as soon as she took a step, the figure paced back, keeping the distance.

Pace forward, pace back. Pace forward, pace back. The figure relentlessly kept away, and Zelda worried that Lynda might wake up before they got anything worth thinking about.

But then the figure threw a knife at her, hoping to keep her away. Perhaps it was supposed to miss, just like the thorn bush from before, but the knife hit home, right in the middle of Lynda's pendant of light.

Lynda screamed and fell. The figure lunged and caught her.

Zelda shifted her perspective of sight, and saw that the figure's hands were stained black, dipped in pools of sin. He wore a light giving pendant too, only cracked and tarnished.

Lynda didn't notice. She was having a hard time breathing, her gasps coming in spasms of pain. She retched and coughed in the figure's arms, and when she calmed, Zelda manipulated her magic to see through Lynda's eyes.

The figure was not the God Lynda knew. It was just a mask, she realised, and she knew whatever was behind held answers to questions she had never thought to ask. Regaining her ability to breathe, she reached a hand out to the figure's face.

The man—what else could it be?—recoiled a little, probably startled by her persistent advances. But he could not let her go, so he could do nothing but let her touch him. He was unnaturally warm, almost burning. Lynda began to peel away at the too-pale skin with one hand, beginning to unravel the turban with the other. She was so close to finding answers, so close, so close…

_They_ were close. The stranger's turban touched her forehead; she could feel his breath on her nose. He held her hand against his cheek, and while Lynda didn't notice, Zelda saw that their pendants had swapped. The stranger held her glowing light, while Lynda held his, a little less tarnished and shining a little brighter.

He carefully came all the closer, gently cradling her shoulders and the back of her head as he pressed his mouth against hers.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda opened her eyes with a sense of calm contentment, rest heavy on her chest, a gentle smile about to cross her lips. Then she remembered the dream.

Next thing everybody else in the room knew she was sitting bolt upright, tense as a wolfos and breathing like she'd run a mile. Her face resembled a tomato.

She blurted, "I didn't dream that."

"Uh… yes you did," Navi replied, fluttering around rather smugly.

"I didn't dream that."

"Yes you did."

"I did not."

"You did so."

"Did not."

"Did so."

"Did _not_."

"Did so."

"_Did not_."

"Did so."

"_Did_-"

"Lynda, please," Zelda interrupted the near hysterical squeal that would've ended up becoming one of her most hated phrases, "Calm down. Now that we know what was behind that door, I believe we should discuss it."

"No we don't." Lynda said abruptly, tumbling out of the narrow chair-bed, "There's nothing to discuss. Simply nothing. That dream ended in a way it shouldn't have, end of story I'll just go dream it properly without all the magic vibes in between, yeah, that's what I'll do bye-"

"Lynda,"

The tone Zelda had used was definitely something even the Hero of Time couldn't afford to disobey. Lynda sighed and turned around, miserably sitting back on the now hated dream-chair. "I still say it wasn't how it was supposed to be."

Zelda ignored her. "Lynda, I believe I know who this dream is about."

"Really?" she seemed a little grumpy too. "Do tell; then I can hand him over to Malon and leave it at that."

"I don't think you'll be wanting to do that," Navi sang, flying just as smugly as she was speaking.

"Oh what, just 'cause he… ugh." Lynda stuck out her tongue and scrubbed at her mouth distastefully.

"You shouldn't go near him, Lynda."

Lynda blinked at such a serious tone. "Who are you talking about anyway?"

"I don't believe it wise to tell you, Lynda. You will not believe me; much less obey me, if I told you. The monstrosity that took your weapons was his heart. The figure represents him. I made figures of my own to approach the vines, and all of them were used and destroyed violently. You do not know him well enough to love him, Lynda. In the end he will most likely destroy you."

Lynda's jaw hung on loose flesh, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Even if you realise who he is," she continued, standing from her chair like the regal sage she was, "I will warn you here and now. Don't let him realise what you feel for him. He's powerful. He's dangerous. He _will_ hurt you."

Their eyes met, and Lynda shivered at the sharp danger in Zelda's eyes. "He is colder than the depths of the Ice caverns. Remember that."

* * *

Okay, yeah, maybe it wasn't that cute. But you have to admit, seeing Sheik panicking is kinda funny... right? No? Maybe?

Review?


	17. Surrendering Endurence

Hey everybody! Sorry for the late-ish update, but it's here! The chapter is here, and that is good! ... Right?

Oh yeah, THANKYOU TO ALL NEW REVIEWERS!! WOOOOOT!!

Anyway, yeah, I hope this works, and that you like it. Peace out.

Review Replies.

**_Sachiko V_:** Yeah, I have to admit, some Sheik's around here need some more machoness. Mine just happened to have a real angsty side, lol. Heh, thankyou so much for your compliments, really. It's nice to be appreciated. Thankyou! And I believe the dream has lead to this. But I'm worried there're some loose ends here and there. Do you think I missed something?

**_HeroofTimes_:** Yep, our two protagonists are real problematic when it comes to feelings. I have so much fun messing with them! XP. Yeah, I just thought, being one ball of talking thinking magic, there's got to be more to it, you know? I viewed the Fierce Diety as 'God of Destruction'. and if Din was Ganondorf's patron, i thought the Fierce Deity would be good for Sheik. ANd that mask looks cool. About Navi being able to hug everybody in their lifetime is a looooooong answer so I'll put it at the bottom of the page. Thanks for enjoying, and I hope you find this one more satisfacotry. Yay!

**_Meg_: **Yay, aproval! I so didn't spell that right... (T.T) anyway, thanks. Um, is the dream not being vague good or bad? Do you think I should cut out more obvious details, or what? About the Fierce Deity; I just view him as God of Destruction and/or Sheikah, only if the God was evil, I don't think the Sheikah would be happy to have him around. XD The god of destruction thing (I thought) suited Sheik, so... yeah. Sorry, there's no way that this will finish by the 23rd, although, I'd like it to finish by then too. Then I'd be like. YAAAAAAY!! Finished! Oh, in case I forget to say this, have a nice trip to Europe!

**_Sparda's Kitten_:** Yeah, finally the bond between the two are warming up. I hope you like this chapter, because it gets warmer!

**_Suethe_: **Okay. Sheik panicking is good. I hope the joke isn't old yet, because it kinda happens in this chapter too. Sorta. I don't know. I thought more memories between the two would be appropriate, since, well, there was no way Link would let Sheik go without any answers, right? lol. OOH, so close, yet so far! Sorry you couldn't get to Pravus. And I don't think I'll be putting in anymore badguys, because Shcik can get torture happy when he wants to be.

**_Super Goat grl_:** Yeah, it was about Sheik. Do you think the dream was a tad too obvious? Anyway, I hope you like this.

**_Janzo the Ash Bringer_:** Aw, man, so many compliments. Thank you so much; the only reason I work on character development is that I just suck at writing plots, lol. Anyway, thankyou for appreciating my style, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**_Louiii_: **Yes, I have to admit, the two are perfect for each other. It's just that Zelda's a worry wart, for her kingdom and her sister and the future, you know? I hope there's enough cuteness in here for you Louiii, thank you so much for your support!

* * *

_**Surrendering Endurance**_

The next morning, Pell found a very moody looking Princess doing a poor job of sweeping the floor. Usually she was a great help, but today she was just stabbing the floor with the bushy side of the broom, ruining it progressively and unhelpfully.

Pell rolled her eyes and asked. "What's wrong?"

Lynda seemed not to notice. She just kept stabbing at the floor aggressively.

"Princess, use the other side of the broom for that kind of cleaning, please."

As predicted she automatically muttered. "Don't call me that."

"It lives!" she whooped before joining the blonde, sweeping the door in front of the kitchen first, "What's wrong?"

There was a pause in which Lynda struggled with herself to say it was nothing. But her will was never very strong when it came to complaining. "Well, it's just that it was _my_ dream. _My_ dream, and she doesn't tell me anything about it except that someone real dangerous, who I shouldn't go anywhere with, was in it and how am I supposed to do that if she doesn't tell me what the heck the dream was supposed to tell me?"

Pell blinked and said, "From the start, please."

Lynda obliged, explaining that she'd been having an annoyingly repetitive dream for the last several weeks, that she had gone to Zelda for a way to stop it. But her older sister had suggested that it could be prophetic, and that she should try to work it out. Lynda had tried, but her dream never went past a certain door. So, the day before, Zelda had helped to open it and see what was inside only…

"It ended up becoming a dream warning me of someone dangerous but Zelda won't tell me who it is! I mean, she had no problem with it _last_ time, why should she now?"

Pell cocked an eyebrow. "Last time?"

"Would you believe me if I said she and I sealed a madman in the void between worlds when we were ten?"

The second eyebrow followed its twin. "I'm going to have to think on that one, Lynda."

Lynda sighed and shook her head, waving the comment off. "It's just that… Zelda said I know this guy. And I should stay away from him, but… there's only one guy I go anywhere near, and… I'm not even sure whether he could be called 'evil'."

"Huh," Pell said, flicking her brown tresses from her shoulder, "What's his name?"

"Sheik."

Pell did a small, near insignificant double-take. Lynda noticed anyway. The two girls stared at each other, suddenly afraid of something intangible, and Lynda realised with a sickening jolt that Pell's expression looked extremely troubled.

Pell paused before starting slowly, careful with her words. "Sheik is the man that always wears a cowl over his nose and has an eye hidden, right?"

"Yeah." Lynda replied, worry lacing her tone.

"I've seen him… oh, maybe four times in the six years I've been working in this castle. And that's since you arrived, really. I sort of knew he existed, since, well… everybody in the castle knew that there was a Sheikah in the castle, so why not a second? There were always strange rumours about him that sort of kept him from becoming a myth, but kept him a legend, and most of them were quite colourful… But definitely not pretty."

Lynda winced. "Like what?"

Pell shrugged. "That he fed nightmares to nobles when they ticked him off, that he'd won in a fight with a wolfos when he was four, but he lost an eye doing it, at night he listened to the dead and delivered their revenge to the living; the most recent one was that he bewitched the whole of the castle guards to forget that they'd witnessed a murder of a noble at his hands."

_Those who approached were used and destroyed violently…_

Lynda cringed, trying to forget what Zelda had said. "Wow. That's… that's pretty bad."

"But I have to say," Pell added offhandedly, "I can't believe he's twenty four years old, he seems much older than that…"

"_What_?"

Lynda stared at Pell, and the servant girl cocked an eyebrow. "What 'what'?"

"But isn't he like, the same age as you?" Lynda asked back, looking completely and utterly bewildered. Pell scoffed.

"I highly doubt it. If he could do all those things—both physical and magical—at our age, he has the gods behind him."

_He's powerful. He's dangerous. He __will__ hurt you._

Lynda shivered, and managed to hide it. She bit her lip as she worked, red eyes haunting her, sometimes shifting to gold.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda was pacing her room impatiently when Yana finally arrived. The Princess was wearing one of her old tunics, the red one made out of dried bomb flower leaves, and a pair of leather sandals when the servant came in. Yana watched in awe of the fairy that followed the Princess around, as it giggled and tried to calm the agitated Hylian.

"Princess?" Yana asked, cocking her head to the side worriedly.

"Lynda." She automatically replied, growling irritably at the ceiling, "For heaven's sake, it's _Lynda_! What is up with the people in this castle? Do they have a phobia concerning my name?"

"Oh, uh, um…"

"I'm sorry, that was out of line," Lynda sighed, shaking her head, "I'm just a bit stressed at the moment."

"Lynda," Navi reprimanded, "I really think you should explain what's going on here,"

"Oh, right, sorry. Yana, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything but I really have something important to discuss with you about, so… do you think you could sit down?"

Yana had an expression that said she had no clue as to what she was doing there if the subject was so private and important. But she shuffled to the chair Lynda offered anyway, carefully keeping her head down, because she realised only then that Yana was a smidge taller than Lynda was. And she was careful to avoid sitting before Lynda did, in case she offended the royal.

Lynda bit her lip, hesitating one last second before sighing and asking, "What does the name 'Sheik' mean to you?"

Yana suddenly looked pale.

"Well?" Lynda asked, sounding a hint desperate.

"I… I uh…He's part of a… our… um…"

To Lynda's shock and horror, Yana's shoulders shook and her face crumpled. Tears began to leak from her green eyes, and Lynda was immediately kneeling in front of her and taking her hand, Navi floating around the servant girl's head in means of comfort. Yana sobbed shamefully as Lynda cooed and hushed her, fingertips brushing against her mousy hair. "Hey, hey it's alright, you can tell me, please, it's all going to be alright…"

Lynda bit her lip before standing up and rushing to her favourite corner where a sheet was draped over a chair, the one the servants had kindly avoided for her. She pulled the sheet away and grabbed a clear bottle full of cold tea, uncorking it and offering it to Yana. Yana immediately shook her head, hiccupping, "No, please your Highness, you shouldn't be…"

"I don't care. You are going to drink this because this is very good tea, despite it being cool. Now come on; this chair's a bit too uncomfortable for my tastes anyway."

Yana shook her head but obediently left the room's most comfortable chair and was led to the bed instead, where Lynda sat beside her and patted her shoulder to comfort her. Yana sipped the tea from the bottle and gave a shaking sigh.

"I'm sorry your majesty…"

"Highness, now Majesty. My, aren't I climbing up the ranks?"

The servant girl laughed a little before nodding. Lynda patted Yana's shoulder again and said, "Now, tell me what's wrong. Like you said; I'm Royalty, like it or not, so I can help you."

Yana flicked her red rimmed eyes towards the Princess and seeing the sincerity, began to loosen the lace around her collar. "I… there are many posts here, highness, seamstress, nursemaids, advisors, butlers, guards… I… I am, as many would prefer to call us, a Sentesan_._"

"Okay… what does a Sentesan…?"

Lynda stopped herself, as Yana revealed her throat. Across her lower neck there was a series of runes, ugly little gashes of black that looked like a chain of barbed vines. It reminded her of her dream, that giant beating creature, and Lynda shivered.

"What _is_ this?"

"This is my bond, Highness," she murmured, tears leaking out of her eyes once more, "I was sold as a Sentesan a year or two ago, and I cannot leave the station unless I am either sold or forgiven. I… stole a jewel from my old mistress…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, there's nothing wrong with being tempted…" Lynda coaxed, hugging Yana around her shoulders, "What… as a sentesan… what…?"

Wait a minute, hadn't she heard that word before? Sentesan, sentesan…

"_Ah, I believe I can help you," the man smiled thinly, grey eyes glinting as he looked her over up and down. But then he seemed to think about something, and added rather offhandedly, "You have to be careful around the sentesans around here…"_

"_I am one," Lynda ended up blurting, his gaze suddenly turning predatory. _

"_Wonderful."_

"Oh no." Lynda paled considerably, as Yana lifted her gaze to meet Lynda's blue orbs, "You… they… is it?"

Yana wept, her face burning with shame as she nodded, burying her face in her hands to somehow try to keep the humiliation away. She jolted when a hand rested on her lap, respectfully near her knee, and the grip it had on her skirt was angry and shaking.

Yana looked up to meet Lynda's gaze. Yana was a lot older than her, but to the servant girl, Lynda suddenly looked timeless and ageless. A single tear rolled down Lynda's determined face, her mouth pulled back in a snarl.

"Do you have family?"

Yana blinked. "Highness…?"

"Do you have family, friends, anybody who'd take you in outside of the castle?"

"I… yes, my mother should…"

Lynda bounded out of her 'seat' and went for the rope that hung from the ceiling, the one she had never tugged at. When she did a bell rung, its voice unused and a little muffled because of the dust that had collected over the months.

Yana was suddenly frightened, scared that the Princess would kick her out and throw her in the dungeons or something…

It didn't help that four man-servants and eight maids burst through the ornate door, all looking slightly dishevelled and astonished about the fact they were standing in the Princess's room. Lynda faced them, a Warrior Princess with eyes of blue fire.

"What happened to the treasure from Lord Sceleris' mansion?"

One of the man-servants bowed. "It has been added to the Royal Vaults, your Highness."

Lynda twitched at the use of the title but let it slide. "Bring me half of it. Now."

All of the servants opened their mouths in shock. Lynda waited two seconds patiently before adding, kindly, "Now would be good, thanks. Oh, and ladies? Can you help me dress Yana up? Speaking of which, this'll be a real good opportunity for all of us! Navi?"

"Yup?"

"Can you get Ian to collect some guys and move this infernal bed to the gardens please? And tell the kitchen ladies to bring food for all of them plus ten people to this room."

"Princess…?" one of the maids that had arrived asked, clearly confused and lost.

"Oh, right, this arrangement's kinda unfair, huh? There's going to be a lot of planning from now-"

"Lynda, they're confused." Navi pointed out.

"Right, sorry, everybody, there's going to be a banquet in this room, and we're going to do it Gerudo style. Only servants are invited. We have something very special to celebrate today."

Navi began to make noises that could only described as a poor attempt at a drum roll.

"Today," Lynda continued, "We are going to celebrate the beginning of my quest in making you all call me _by my name_… and, most importantly… Yana's freedom."

The named servant blushed and looked positively alarmed. "Your Highness…!?"

"It's Lynda. Get used to it. You're a free woman now. I'll get rid of the rank of sentesan, okay? Just don't spend too much of Pravus' fortunes, although, we're going to have to pay everybody here for their service in getting this banquet ready and hush them up before I can hand you over the cash but it should be enough to get you back home and then we'll have to contact your family and make sure they're ready for you and there is the fact that we still have to free you and all that but for now, let's just en-"

Lynda couldn't finish the rest because Yana had thrown her arms around Lynda's neck, sobbing with happiness.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik groaned into his hands, dismayed.

He couldn't get her out of his head. He, the man renowned for his emotionless ways, couldn't stop thinking about her. Oh gods, this was so pathetic! Why hadn't he noticed his loss of control before? Then he may have been able to snuff the flame out earlier, keep his interest towards her to the minimum. But now…

_Why_ did he like her?! He had every bloody reason to hate her guts but he cared for her anyway! She was Zelda's sister! That should be reason enough to take her to some dark corner and mess with her head until she broke down speaking gibberish. Didn't he swear to himself that he'd never let any royal take anything from him ever again?

What was he attracted to anyway? It definitely wasn't the power. He had plenty of that, if not more than the King himself. Not the money, either. It was heavy, meaningless, and coming right down to it, he could either steal it if he needed it, or steal the object of purchase.

Well, she is kinda nice-looking…

Oh gods, _nice_-_looking_? That's all he could say about it!? Of course she'd look relatively attractive, she was _Zelda's sister_! How many times did he have to say that!? For Din's sake what did he expect!? And why should he acknowledge her for her looks anyway? He'd seen plenty other beautiful women in their jewels and dresses and their caked on cosmetics…

Besides, she wasn't his type. She was stubborn and perhaps even a bit selfish. It would be a nightmare if he ever got in a _real_ argument with her, and she'd have her way whatever the result. That was who she was. He hated stubborn people. They drove him over cliffs.

…Oh gods, that was exactly what Lynda made him do and he had enjoyed it.

No! No, that didn't count! Then, it was Fern or whatever alias she had taken, she wasn't Lynda! He'd been cheated into enjoy himself and that was unfair, and didn't count.

Unfair. By Nayru, that was rich coming from him.

Sheik rolled his eyes as he slapped himself, screwing his eyes shut in hopes of keeping her image at bay. What was it that made her so great in his eyes!? Would she know how to pick a lock? No. Would she know how to summon beasts and create weapons out of thin air? Well, she did once, at the Forest Temple, but she'd tapped into the Sacred Realm. That didn't count either.

Wait. She could tap into the Sacred Realm. Could it be possible for something _inside_ the Sacred Realm to tap through…?

Gods, that's not a nice thought. Sheik rubbed his thumb against the back of his right hand, making the Holy symbol glow across his skin. Ganondorf wouldn't be able to touch him. The Black King didn't have the Triforce anymore, and he would be certain that his loyal Sheikah was dead. He was safe. If only just from bodily harm.

Sheik snapped his attention to the door that led his to his room. The knob jiggled again.

Cautiously, Sheik sat himself up, muscles tense and ready. Purple fire licked his hands as he crouched on his bed, watching the knob of the door turn, the entity behind it slipping through the door. Suddenly he was glad that he had prepared himself in case Impa came to investigate. He'd cloaked himself with invisibility, so Impa shouldn't be able to see him. _Shouldn't_.

Then he didn't have to worry so hard, because it was Lynda who was stepping in, closing the door, the fairy nowhere in sight. The Triforce was glowing in her hand.

Shit. She knew.

Sheik sat still, more so than a statue, keeping his breathing low and quiet. He needed to get out without her noticing. It would be a feat, since the Triforce of Courage was tracking his piece…

A distraction. A distraction would be good…

Sheik wormed his magic through the furniture and made it paint across the wall a single eye, the symbol of his people. It blinked in Lynda's general direction, and it caught her immediately. Good. Now all he had to do was… wait. What was she doing with that…

The magic suddenly left. Completely and utterly.

"What-th-"

"Ha!"

A swirl of green and something catapulted into his chest; magic that wasn't his own slamming him against grass instead of floor, the remaining bonds around his neck immediately contracting in retaliation.

Sheik choked. It didn't help that somebody's hands—whether they belonged to him or someone else was really hard to tell—were there to knead at his throat muscles, making the pain one hell of a lot worse and fire was coursing through his veins because the mark in his hand was retaliating too, trying to rid his throat of the fatal runes and air, air, gods he could do with a lot of air now, damn it, damn it, there was no way he was going to die because of some lousy _words_…!

Breathe.

"Sheik!" a panicked squeal that sent his brain jarring across his skull, some more hands gently tapping at his masked cheek to keep him awake, "What happened, what's wrong, what did those things do to you!?"

Sheik was too busy coughing and Din-damned _breathing_ to tell her that the markings not only bound him to the Royal Family, they bound him to the castle. The further he got the tighter the marks constricted his throat, ultimately sealing his windpipe. You get farther enough and the magic _shouldn't_ work, but Lake Hylia just didn't happen to be far enough.

But they were gone. They'd been wiped away.

"You…" his head spun with the many sentences he wanted to start with that word. You stole the Ocarina of Time. You knew where my room was. You're one heck of a mage, huh. You got me out of the castle. You knew about the Markings. You freed me. You saved me.

Sheik's mouth turned dry. Oh gods. She knew.

Her features were pulled back into a nasty snarl, and her hands shook as she held the scruff of his shirt. The Holy porcelain instrument was left forgotten, having fed its magic into wiping away Sheik's marks. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything!?" she yelled, "Is it so amusing to see me fail at helping people? Did you think that now that I'm not a hero anymore, I wouldn't give a damn about you? Or is it because you're such a _man_ and you wouldn't be able to handle being helped by a _Princess_!? Or, maybe, just maybe, did you think that I couldn't _handle_ the fact that the Castle's just as disgusting as all the Cursed Temples put together? You were _right there_ and I was _right next to you_ and you completely _ignored_ me!"

Sheik wondered how Lynda could be so fiery and spirited when she had just used all that magic. Maybe he had contributed more to the process than he thought… "Princess…"

"Stop 'Princess'ing me because I'm sick of it! I do not need saving, I am _not_ some damsel in distress I just saved you and the least you could do to thank me is to just call me-_Sheik_!"

"I thought that was _my_ title…" he commented weakly as he lolled uselessly in Lynda's grip, sweat slipping down his forehead and jaw. He groaned and tried to concentrate. There was no way he was going to faint. Not now, not ever. "And you're straddling me, Princess, do me a favour and get off…"

Lynda blushed and rolled off, gently taking his arm to support him as he heavily leaned into her shoulder. Sheik noted that she smelled like soap. Not soap from the castle, it must be something she smuggled in from the forest … It was nice. "And why is it that we're having long conversations whenever it's potentially embarrassing for me?"

Lynda scoffed. "Karma."

Sheik laughed and lied down, taking in the scent of fresh grass and lake-water, the cool air of the south and the night, marvelling at the fact that he was outside the castle. The chaffing at his throat and wrists… gods, they were truly gone…

"Why didn't you tell me?"

This time her voice was soft, like a breeze. He soaked in the concern and bitterness it held, and it solidified into something he hadn't felt since… gods, had he ever felt it? "I'd told you that I was Royal Advisor. I couldn't tell you later that I'd been demoted to be a harlot the next day, now could I?"

"You could've."

"And what would've happened to my pride if I had, I wonder?"

"Does it look like I care?"

"I would've cared."

"Does it still look like I care?"

Sheik turned his head a bit, glancing at the wavy tresses that glowed silver in the moonlight, the skin that seemed to be glazed in liquid pearl, a mouth that was pulled into a fierce frown, and those eyes, a blue so dark now it might as well be a piece of the night, touched by the river of time in a way that only a goddesses' chosen could be touched.

He could look at her forever.

"No," he replied, that unfamiliar sensation churning at his gut, "I'm sorry."

"You better be," she spoke like the breeze again, a breeze that whipped mercilessly at his chest, "Because I've been complaining about meaningless things to you for the last five months while you were going through hell and more. Do you _realise_ how _bad_ I felt when I found out that… that…"

Angry tears burned on her lashes, and suddenly Sheik was being punched around the middle a little too hard for his liking. "Ow! Ow-o-oof!"

"No friend of mine…"

"OW!"

"No friend of mine…!"

"_Ow_! Princess that –ow—ow, really-!"

"No friend of mine goes through with it while I'm alive, you got that!?"

Gingerly, Sheik sat himself up, rubbing at his sore stomach and abdomen. "Right, right, I'm sorry, alright…?"

"For how long…?" Lynda retracted her abusive hands and placed them on her knees, worry etching her face, "How long did they…?"

Sheik shrugged, massaging his bicep, "Since I was old enough to understand the concept, really." He said nonchalantly, "Before that I just played the Lyre."

"That's sick."

Sheik's lip twitched into a smile. "I didn't know the lyre could be so atrocious, Highness."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Lynda snapped, making Sheik blink in surprise, "I can't believe this! Did _anybody_ know? Zelda, Impa…"

"Yes and yes."

"_Vwat_!?"

"I served the Black King, remember? The years I spent as a harlot, was in a sense, my punishment."

"But that makes no sense!"

"That's because you thought Zelda planted me there. No. When Ganondorf stormed the castle—that's about a month after you were locked away—I knifed the attendant that was watching me and I fought alongside the Stalfos. It wasn't long before Ganondorf realised I could be of use to him."

Lynda's spine rippled in fear.

_Black hands tainted with sin…_

"I joined Ganondorf's ranks and became his messenger boy." Sheik continued, blankly looking across the lake, as if the memories were playing over the horizon, "Who'd think to be careful about their conversations around a child? The fact that I was Sheikah and survived the Castle Raid at such a young age helped in finding out rebellious households. From messenger boy, I was promoted to being a spy. The Twin Rova taught me memory manipulation and made sure I was what Ganondorf wanted and needed. I was the one that studied the Goron tablets and secured the Legend of Volvagia. I was the one that realised freezing the waters of the Zoras would hurt them the most."

Cold sweat broke across Lynda's forehead. She was sitting next to her nightmare. Sheik was the giant beating plant, with its barbed vines and its un-opening door. Sheik was the figure that hid himself completely, behind the mask of the God of Destruction, the one that Zelda had said was powerful and dangerous. No wonder.

Images of Link, the Goron prince, rolling around the empty city, hungry and alone but determined to patrol the rings of his home no matter what, flashed in her mind. He'd been skinny and gangly for a Goron, the rough hide on his back still smooth from his young age. Ruto, her would-have-been-fiancé, looking so tired and cold, bursting into tears because she wasn't alone anymore because Lynda had come and everything would be okay from now, thank you, thank you…

The gaunt faces of the captured Gorons, too frightened to sleep, the heaven-high relief of freedom washing their faces as they rolled away…

The frozen bodies of the Zoras, reaching for the surface, faces desperate, hope fading, horror struck, so close, so close, a hand protruding out of the ice…

Sheik had done it. All of it.

"And the forests…?"

"That," Sheik said rather brightly, "I can honestly say I had nothing to do with. Ganondorf made it his personal duty to search the forest where the supposed Hero of Time could've been hiding. At that time I was looking for Zelda's possible hide-outs. _And_ I actually found her. Well, she more like found me, since I was the one that walked into a trap. Anyway, Impa _really_ wasn't happy with me. Did I mention that she was my aunt?"

As Lynda shook her head, Sheik wondered why he was telling her all this. Was it to draw her sympathy? Sheik laughed at himself. At this rate it would be safe to assume that Lynda would kill him as soon as he closed his mouth. Besides, who would love a murderer? If he couldn't push her out of his head, at the very least he could push the real Lynda away. Then he can get over it, and live his life as before.

Sheik chuckled darkly at the idea, plucking at the grass to his side, "She could've killed me in an instant, but Zelda had a better idea; why not make me go against my _master_—ha, master my ass—and guide the Hero in his quest?"

"You refused."

"Hell yeah," He replied mildly, "Ganondorf was a torture-happy guy like you wouldn't believe. Why would I want to risk everything I had over a myth?"

"So…?"

"So Impa reminded me that, if and/or when the Hero of Time came along and purged all the Temples, I would be right under Ganondorf in the 'Kill' list. Not to mention every other Sages' lists, too. Even I had to admit that despite Ganondorf's power, he was going to fall someday. Even if he did have the Triforce. And the whole kingdom. And Impa kindly pointed out that Ganondorf really wasn't the kind of guy to keep to his loyalties, so I thought it best to have one foot on each side, to be safe when one or the other fell. I just had to make sure I didn't get caught."

"So you helped them. You helped them defeat Ganondorf but you still got punished?"

Sheik nodded.

"But… didn't they promise you that…"

"The Promises were vague," Sheik admitted, "And I kinda died halfway through the job, and I'm thinking they used that as a loophole to get at me. And I only started helping them maybe half a year before you came along, so… meh."

Lynda gulped impulsively. "You… you died."

"Yep. Ganondorf decided that I was a threat; killed me off right after Bongo was freed. And before you ask," he smiled at her worried face, "It wasn't painful. Ganondorf wasn't that kind of man. Well, not to threats anyway. He got a little torture-happy when it came to examples or if he wanted people to follow him, but when it came to eminent dangers to his throne… quick and fatal. And again, before you ask, I didn't get caught. I just freed Bongo from its chains. Apparently that meant I was becoming too powerfully adept at magic, hence a threat to Ganondorf, so yeah. All I remember is watching lots of spears intent on making me their pincushion before waking up like I just got dragged through a nightmare."

Lynda smiled wryly. "Yeah, waking from death does that to you."

Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "You know?"

"Phantom Ganon." Was all she said before turning away, looking towards the horizon in the north, "Was it just me, or did it feel like falling asleep?"

"…Yeah, I guess," Sheik conceded, propping his legs up to lean against, staring over the reflected night. Then he smirked. "Are we really talking about first hand experience of death?"

Lynda chuckled. "Yes, yes we are."

"…Don't you hate me?" Sheik wondered, telling himself it was a really bad idea to comb his fingers through her hair, even if it did seem like the best thing to occupy his time. He watched her freeze, hesitantly meeting his gaze before turning away, biting her lip in contemplation.

Did she? Did she really hate him? She'd seen the atrocities, she'd seen the damage. It had torn the land apart, and broken the spirit of the people.

_You do not know him well enough to love him, Lynda. In the end he will most likely destroy you. Even if you realise who he is I will warn you here and now. Don't let him realise what you feel for him. He's powerful. He's dangerous. He _will_ hurt you. He is colder than the depths of the Ice caverns. Remember that._

Zelda had a point. But she had no right to say that Lynda was in love with him, no right to say that Sheik would be his worst and hurt her. Zelda had no right to tell her what to do. She wasn't the Hero of Time anymore. She'd do what she liked.

"No. We're friends." Lynda turned to him determinedly, "But you have to tell me, honestly, that you're sorry. Tell me that you feel bad. _Honestly_."

Sheik paused, looking away. He fiddled with the grass, and carefully replied, "I can't say I don't regret working under Ganondorf. I learnt a lot about my people, about Magic, about everything through History to battle strategies. He wasn't a good man, far from it, but he gave me a chance at freedom that the castle has never offered me."

Then he looked at her, and bowed his head. "But I _am_ guilty of being part of many people's pain, and… believe me when I say it made me sick. And I'm sorry. More than you think. I'm sorry, Lynda. I am."

Lynda managed a smile and said, "It's past."

Then Sheik realised why he cared so much about her. It was because she wasn't scared. She was never scared to make mistakes, to fight monsters, to make friends, to forgive people for their wrong. Even if she knew that the consequences could be pain, death, loss, betrayal. She was doing it right now, with him, when she knew about what he'd done, what he could do, what he was capable of. Gods, she was such an _idiot_, trusting someone like him, offering her hand of truce. And he was a bigger idiot for falling for it, for not using it against her, for making himself weak and defenceless against her gaze, that blue gaze that haunted him, stuck his feet to the spot in awe, bent his knees with guilt (guilt, for crying out loud. _Guilt_!), make him want to die and live at the same time with the sheer _fire_ they held.

And he loved her for it.

"… Thank you."

Lynda smiled and hugged him.

Sheik hesitated one last time before circling his arms around her waist, marvelling at how easily she offered gestures like hugs. Maybe… just maybe, he could get used to this…

"I… I was, well, kind of planning to put Ian into retirement." Lynda admitted as she retracted. Sheik nodded cautiously. Hopefully, Lynda continued, "And I… was hoping someone with enough guts to fight me would show up at training. You're free now, so you don't have to, but could you stay, just so you could work out where to go? I can give you pointers?"

A part of him told him to _fight her_. Tell her no, he was sick of the castle, why should he stay there just for _her_? He was capable of taking care of himself; there was no need for her to give pointers, what did she think he was, a child?

"Alright," Sheik complied, "I did promise that I'd be your bodyguard, so why not?"

Lynda smiled gratefully and hugged him again.

For the first time in his life, Sheik gave up, and accepted his fate.

He surrendered.

* * *

**Hello all! I hoped you like that! Okay, from now, I'm just going to explain a theory I have on LOZ fairies. It was mostly inspired by Batneko and if you haven't read her stories but is a hard-out Zelda fan, BOY you are missing out.**

**Anyway, if you're not interested, please press the blue button at the bottom and leave a comment behind.**

Okay first, the fairy is born by incantation or the summoning. In the Kokiri forest, that's done by the Deku tree. Now I'm thinking that when a fairy is first born, they're red (Idea taken by Batneko) and then they develop personailites and voices (Batneko) but they can't heal (me). Then they grow into 'tough' mode like Navi is right now. Byt then they are able to 'eat' and 'sleep' and heal minor wounds (me).

Then, as they grow and acquire more magic as they grow, they are able to retain solid bodies. At first they look like those wierd-as fairy pieces you get in Majora's mask. You know, the Pink (-3-) faced propellor headed things? Those. But that's optional. Either the fairies do that, or they project these illusions of light so they look like Hylian children but with fairy guardians. Hence, the Kokiri are born.

(I was thinking this because you know how in the OOT game, the Kokiri kinda faded out when you went far away but you could see the fairies? Well, that happens, so that's where i got the idea from)

Eventually, all fairies, if they live long enough, become Kokiri-like. The illusions become solid, and hence they are able to hug people if they wish to. You just can't do that when you're a ball of light with a voice and nothing else. And eons later, the fairies eventually become the Great Fairies and are able to give future heroes magic and crystals and whatnot. Even create another legions or red fairies, if they so wish to.

...yeah, way too much thought, no?


	18. Opening Doors

**Sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I have a really good reason to have been so late on hte update. The reason is, I was sick. Really sick. Runny nose, fever, hacking coughs, the works. And I would really, really like to write down all the replies on the chapter itself, but like, seventen people reviewed the last chapter. **

**SEVENTEEN PEOPLE! I love you guys so much! Yuuuuuusss!**

**Anyway, yeah. So I can't do anything about it. Sorry dudes. I'll try to put in the replies when I update the next chapter, or just plainly reply through the reply-to-review network they have here. Sorry guys. **

**And again, sorry. This chapter is mainly fluff, because there were a few requests of fluff. It DOES make the story prgress somewhat, so it's not useless fluff, okay?**

**Um, please review?**

**And enjoy!_

* * *

_**

**_Opening doors_**

Sheik woke up to the morning sun streaming into his eyes, and offensively he blinked his ruby orbs. He lifted himself up, bare copper chest stiff from sleep, a soft groan escaping his throat. He looked to the side, and the bed-sheets were turned up and the mattress disturbed. For a second he forgot who had been there, and then as if to remind him the door to the adjoining washroom opened.

"Awake?" a woman teased, honey hair a mess as it wavered down to her waist, white nightgown hugging her slender and supple form.

Sheik smiled at her blue eyes, seeing nothing else. "Dressed?" he teased back, beckoning her to come to him. She grinned boyishly as she did so, hugging his bare chest with a doting sigh, his fingers combing through her tresses as he murmured into her forehead, "Where's Navi?"

The woman scoffed. "Not even a good morning or a how are you, is that it?"

The Sheikah chuckled, and the woman blushed at his rippling flesh. "What, can't I wonder how long I'll have you to myself? That sister of yours can be quite protective…"

She trembled as his lips ghosted over her neck and jaw, delightful submission pulling her mouth. "You _do_ have me though…"

"Not enough."

Possessively, his arms circled around her waist and pressed her against his body. He buried his nose into her shoulder, her scent wafting through him. "Not nearly enough."

His Princess smiled tolerantly. "I love you, Savir."

Her hands, slowly but surely softening from the harsh life of swords and travel cupped his face, lifted him up, and her lips carefully brushed his. The kiss was gentle and strangely firm; his tense shoulder muscles relaxed as her fingers worked on them, pressing down hard just in the right places, having practiced the procedures on her own stressed body through the months of fighting in temples and monsters.

He _wanted_ her.

Then somebody knocked on the door. Relentlessly. Impatiently.

Sheik woke up for real this time, hugging an overlarge pillow to his chest.

"Savir!" A woman's voice. Or a girl. It was hard to tell with _her_. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Panicking, he threw the pillow across the room and scrambled away in the opposite direction. His hands caught air, air rushed and his head collided with the floor and stars were everywhere as he cussed short, sweet, but loud. Another voice cried "HEY!"

He'd been hugging a pillow in his sleep. Holy gods he'd been hugging a pillow in his sleep the pillow was one thing but hugging it was totally another, oh Din, Din, why did you have to turn the world upside down and leave him in the middle of it? Where did that dream come from anyway coupled with that dream and the pillow and the damned stupid _hugging_ he might as well be some love-sick obsessive _teenager_.

Wait. Wasn't he a teenager?

"Coming," he remembered to say as he scrambled upright, the room spinning as he stood. Gods, he'd forgotten that he'd turned nineteen only a few months before Lynda turned eighteen. "And don't call me that when people might be around!"

…Wow, since when was he that young? He had been so sure he was at least seven years older…

He opened the door and the reason for his sudden change in behaviour grinned up at him. "And here I woke up with Navi telling me I have a lazy butt."

Sheik grunted and scratched at his hair, asking what was wrong when Lynda gave him an odd look. "It's just… you hadn't taken off that cowl yet."

Oh. Right. "I don't think the castle's ready to see my dead eye from the wolfos attack, don't you think?"

Lynda scoffed and rolled her eyes and Navi giggled. "We both know for a fact that didn't happen, so why pretend?"

"I'm a mysterious bastard, remember? I have to live up to my reputation."

"You call scared servants a 'reputation'?"

"It's all I have," Sheik replied with a shrug as he closed the door. "And my privacy, until you barged in on me last night. Not that I don't appreciate you freeing me, but… wait, how'd you even know where I was?"

"Oh, I followed this." She lifted her left hand and the Triforce glowed on the back. "It worked quite a bit like a compass, which was cool,"

"Uhuh. And where did you get the Ocarina of Time? I thought that thing was guarded under magic and traps and gods know what else."

"It was?" Lynda asked simply, and Navi replied, "It was."

Lynda gave her fairy a withering look. "Why didn't you mention anything?"

"It was all tied to your blood heritage. As far as the traps were concerned you didn't exist. Maybe you would've existed once you had the Ocarina and tried to get out the same way, but you used Furore's wind and _left me there_, so, meh, I didn't think it was worth mentioning."

"Right…"

"How did you even know I was under bonds?" Sheik continued, "Or how to release me? I've been working on that for the last five years and more, what-"

"Does it matter?" Lynda asked back exasperatedly, "You're free now; you can leave anytime you want, and you can go anywhere you want and do anything you like. Going stabbity against the King, for instance."

Sheik couldn't help but think it was a good idea. But he still couldn't let go of the fact that in his opinion, it did matter how Lynda had freed him. After all, it had been her father, the King who had taken away his freedom, bound him to the Royal family for life as servant or slave. It had been her mother, the Queen, who decided he would make an excellent attraction for the nobles of the castle and had taken the right to keep his body to himself. And _Zelda,_ she had taken his chance for escape, taken his identity, heck he'd once been killed because of her.

And now, now Lynda had grabbed his affections. She'd taken his heart.

Sheik sighed as he followed her down the hall. The funny thing was, he actually didn't mind, this time.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The knife just kept on _poking_ and it was driving her _mad_. She batted it away with her sword and lunged, and the blades locked again before the other pulled away to poke her again. Again!

"Gods stop it!" she screeched, cleaving her weapon in a horizontal arc, making the air around it whistle. Her opponent leapt back, forward, and _poked_.

"Not until you get your guard right." He responded, jumping back, forward, poking, nudging, always to her right, always too quick for her. "You're faster than this, this should be easy."

"Just stop poking me!"

"This is what happens when you rely on your shield too much, _your Highness_."

"Don't get distracted Lynda! Keep your legs moving he's right your faster than him you can do this you can do this you can do this!"

Lynda rolled to avoid getting poked and leapt, constantly moving, constantly hitting but always retaliated by the shorter blade, step, hit, step, hit, block, block, block, block. The weapons cried out with every strike, singing their deadly song.

"Good, good," Sheik murmured, shuffling backwards as Lynda pushed on, blade jumping everywhere, refusing to give him a break to cut through, "Offence is the greatest defence, good, good, I could've got you there,"

"Oh shut up!" she caught his blade with her own and flung it upwards, jerking his arm with the move and she rolled under to his bare back and she slashed but he back-flipped over her head and his knife gently pricked the back of her neck, gently nudging through the white undershirt.

"If you were going for the kill, you would've been better off just stabbing me in the chest." Sheik pointed out.

"Wasn't this exercise supposed to help me avoid doing that to real people?" she replied carefully, trying not lean forwards of backwards, least the gesture got misunderstood by Sheik for lack of attention.

"Precisely. I commend you for it, but just because we're concentrating on your sword skills, that doesn't mean we have to stick to it."

"What does _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Improvise," Sheik stated, retracting his blade from her neck, "The perfect example is what you did with the shield when we fought four weeks ago. You know, how you kicked it off the ground and bashed me with it?"

Lynda guiltily turned and muttered, "Did I mention I was sorry I did that?"

Sheik shrugged, tilting his head to the side as if to say he'd forgotten about it. "Nevertheless, that was some good improvising, and if you hadn't noticed, it had nothing to do with your sword. So, perhaps instead of stabbing me in the front, you could've perhaps kicked me, tackled me, just something quick and blunt on the spot. By rolling, you gave me time to recover."

"… I'm still thinking that I was supposed to win without hurting you, wasn't I?"

Sheik sighed and Navi giggled. "Just… let me get a broadsword or something, and I'll teach you the gist of disarming, deal?"

Lynda grinned. "Oh yeah, I so won that one."

He rolled his eyes and turned, saying, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Princess."

Sheik ducked and spun, bringing his knife up to block Lynda's blow, and for a second the soldiers around them paused in their training, wondering whether sparks had flown.

"Damn it!"

He grinned. "Now, now, _your royal Majesty_, what did I tell you about taunts?"

"I hate you."

"I'm just doing my duty, dear damsel in distress."

"Gods, I hate you, and I wish some Stalfos will tear you apart."

Sheik chuckled, and Lynda smiled.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Zelda wasn't angry. She was _furious_.

Why hadn't her sister acknowledged her warning!? Didn't Lynda understand just how much a _danger_ he was!? Now that Sheik was free and was able to do what he pleased with his magic… Zelda shuddered to think about a reoccurrence of the Lost Seven Years.

The Princess marched up to the Sheikah's room, promptly knocked before entering and closing the door. Sheik cocked his eyebrows, bare-chested apart from some bandages that wrapped his abdomen and shoulder, his cowl flimsily wrapped around his jaw. His trousers were beige and loose. Zelda would've betted her Kingdom that he had several knives hidden against his legs.

"I'll take your word for it when you say, 'it's not what it looks like'," Sheik commented wryly, turning away to look for a clean shirt.

Zelda flared up heatedly and hissed, "What are you planning?"

"I haven't a clue on what you're talking about," Sheik ho-hummed, a smug smile curling his lip, "Although I was going to suggest a visit to the Forest Temple to your sister, since she hasn't met the Sage there for a while…"

"You…!"

Sheik turned his head to look at her and smiled. "Say what you will, Zelda. Lynda won't change her mind about me."

"Well I wonder _why_?" Zelda spat, hate burning in her eyes as he fished out a blue tunic from his messy bed, "Maybe it's because she's honest and trusting and honourable unlike _you_. Or maybe it's because you've wound your spell over her, with your _mystery_ and _stories_ and _power_."

"And good looks," Sheik also commented, turning around fully dressed, letting her have a good look at his person. "Although, I must say I'm quite modest when it comes to my visage…"

"Enough of this,_ Sheik_; I know my sister and once she finds out about what you did under Ganondorf's rule…"

"Oh, I've already told her that," Sheik commented rather brightly, delighting in the appalled expression the Sage of Time gave him, "I think she didn't really mind. Well, she did _mind_, of course, since it was her friends that were affected, but she reckons the past is past. Ain't she such an idiot?"

Zelda growled at the fond tone Sheik had used. "If you hurt her…!"

"After seeing what the Sages could do? You must be deluded." Sheik scoffed, adjusting his cowl, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Lynda expects me at her room soon. She's organizing some interviews, and she wants the list of servants as soon as possible."

Zelda thrust her arm in his way, and effectively Sheik bumped into it. He growled.

The princess stared him in the eye, opening her mouth a little to take a deep breath, deliberately stating her words slowly, "Savir Varekai, I order you to stay away from Princess Lynda Harkinian."

Sheik grinned under his mask, a savage glint clear in his visible eye, "And Lynda knew about that too. Your puppet has lost its strings, Princess. And it walks freely with a heart black as pitch." He raised his hand to emphasise the point, making three triangles burn against his skin, "Oh, and Lynda knows about this too. It's nice having the Hero of Time on your side, don't you think?"

Sheik gently lowered Zelda's stiff arm and walked away, a gentle skip in his steps.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

A severe knock rapped against her door, and Lynda moaned tiredly.

"Navi," she pleaded, "Can you please answer that for me, I'm nearly finished."

The fairy scoffed. "It's not like you're feet's held down…"

"But if I move everybody else would have to move!"

Navi rolled her non-existent eyes before fluttering over to the door and looking through the rather large key-hole. "Uh-oh. Lynda, you might want to finish _real_ quick because I'm seeing red."

Lynda sighed irritably before shouting out, "Come in!"

The door opened and an armoured body stepped in, eyes just as severe as the knock scanning the room, red as Din's hand, ageless as a stone. Impa recoiled once she stepped in, blinking in surprise at the sight before her. Chairs in a circle. Girls plaiting each other's hair. All of them looking mildly guilty. Exempting Lynda, of course.

The Princess finished winding the cord of hard leather around a servant girl's plait, and picked up one of her expensive ribbons from the floor, red satin with specks of emerald dusting the edges. Lynda's eyes did not for once leave her work as she muttered, "Hi, Impa, how are you?"

The nursemaid/bodyguard nodded. "Well, Princess, if not a little troubled."

"It's _Lynda_. Do I have to brainwash you too?" The Princess replied, rolling her eyes as she tied the pretty ribbon over the cord, "Anyway, you came to talk, right? What's going on? It's finished Ana, I hope you like it. I did get your name right, right?"

"Yes, your… Lynda." The girl, presumably fourteen, giggled shyly. "Are you sure, though? I saw the ribbon and it looked-"

"Very nice on you," Lynda assured, as she relaxed back in her stool to let the servant girl behind her finish, "How's it going, Stella?"

"Oh, I could make it better if you-"

"Nonsense." The fairy replied for her sister, fluttering her wings prettily, "You've done great work; I think it looks a lot nicer than what Lynda did. But don't worry Ana; she didn't make your head a mess."

"Nyargh," Lynda retorted, sticking her tongue out.

Impa twitched. "Your Highness, there are many matters to discuss, perhaps…"

"Okay," Lynda sighed, "Sorry guys, I think we should be going." She bent down and picked up two ribbons, both a different colour, but definitely exquisite and expensive. "Take these to finish off, alright?"

It took a few minutes to persuade them to take the pieces of cloth, but Lynda eventually had her way. Lynda waved as she closed the door, Impa watching silently, noting how the servants, all young, around fifteen, sixteen, had smiled in a way they only did around true friends.

"Princess," Impa stated, cutting right down to the chase, "I wish to discuss your recent decisions with you, concerning the servants and guards."

"Oh, them? They were just braiding hair, what's so wrong?" Navi swirled around Lynda's head, and placed herself on her shoulder, ready to advise.

The Old Sheikah woman crossed her arms across her chest, "The shifting of positions is something you should not be doing with your whim, your highness. Ian Mayne's retirement was to happen in two years; you must consult-"

"Ian worked hard, and he deserved a break. He has a granddaughter my age, and I gave him enough rupees to not be a bother to his family. Why is that such a problem?"

"There are replacements to consider, and the replacement of replacements. Men eager to serve and trained hard may resent your quick and favouring decisions, your highness."

Lynda turned and frowned. "You mean Savir?"

Impa nodded. "I believe it best that-"

"I know he worked for Ganondorf in the past, if that's what you're going to tell me. And I don't blame him."

Impa's expression did not change at the stubborn stance the Princess took, and the open glare she used. "So you trust him."

There was no hesitation to her tone as she stated. "I'd trust him with my life and Navi's."

"Princess…"

"Why don't you?" Lynda suddenly asked, "You're his aunt! You're _family_! I just… I don't get it!"

Impa lowered her face and bit her lip, never changing her stance. "So Savir has mentioned our connection. Has he said anything else?"

Lynda shook her head, looking miffed and annoyed. Navi perched on Lynda's shoulder and stroked her wings against her cheek in a form of comfort, and a reluctant smile twitched the Princess's lips.

Impa raised her eyes to Lynda and said, "I was the King's mistress."

Lynda's smile was wiped off. Navi squeaked.

"Of course the King dropped his… 'Habits', when Zelda, and you, were born. I was appointed as Nursemaid so his Majesty could avoid suspicion of hiring a Sheikah, and Sheik had come with me. He was to be one of your personal guards but…"

"He's my personal guard now. If that was what was _supposed_ to happen, it's happened now. I don't see the problem."

Impa gave an aggravated sigh. "Princess…"

"It's _Lynda_!" she lashed out, grinding her teeth, "And I'm sick of people telling me what to do with him, okay!? If you're so worried, then talk to him yourself!"

She stormed to the door ripped open and then promptly crashed into someone. "Oof!"

They both stumbled, and Sheik rubbed his nose warily, wincing when he touched it. "You have one _hard_ forehead, you know that?"

"You have a harder… everything!" Lynda whined from the floor, having tripped over from the collision. "And you're taller!"

Sheik cocked the visible eyebrow and crossed his arms. It reminded her of Impa. "Snappy today, aren't we?"

"She had an argument," Navi stated unnecessarily when Impa immerged from the room. The fairy also saw that Zelda had arrived, looking heavily tempted to blow the place up. Her aura was flaring black as pitch around her usual calm blue, like the sky was suddenly getting devoured by tentacles and flames of ink. Resentment was clear in Sheik's purple shades, stabbing Zelda's aura with sharp hostility, dark wine teeth barred against the black.

All his orange, the gentle warmth, was extended to Lynda and Lynda alone, not even to his supposed aunt. Lynda's midnight clouds were roiling near the Sheikah nursemaid, flicking irritably like a distressed shore, as her honey butter moons swayed under the discontent, slowly resurfacing as Sheik helped her up. Impa's red and grey slipped all over the place, the colour of blood and mistrust mingling with the steel of uneasy relief and sorrow, wondering whether she had been wrong or right or simply ignorant of everything and nothing.

"Wow," Navi commented, "This is quite the party."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When Sheik opened the door the next morning, he blinked.

Lynda was standing there, snuffling. _Snuffling_, for Din's sake, _snuffling_!

"Hero…" they had come to a mutual agreement. He would stick to titles, but it had to be titles she liked. So it was Hero. "What happened?"

"They plucked me. Like a chicken."

Sheik was lost beyond compare. "…Eh?"

"They _plucked_ me, like a chicken! A cucco for a roast! Only they didn't have the decency to kill me! They plucked! Me! Chicken! _Cucco_!"

"Narf," Navi added, to emphasise Lynda's distress.

"You seem fine to me…?"

"See! See!" Lynda screeched, pointing accusingly at his eyes, "I went through all that twitchy spots and pain and redness and he doesn't even notice!"

"I think that's because you told them to stop." Navi pointed out.

"But it should make a difference anyway! All those twitchiness and pain for nothing! Nothing!"

"Hero…" gods only knew how close he had been in calling her princess… "What are you talking about?"

"My eyebrows!"

She tapped her forehead pointedly, and Sheik finally noticed that she had indeed gotten her eyebrows neatened. Not by much, but it did look a lot neater. Sheik cocked one of his own eyebrows, untouched by tweezers of all kinds. "That's it. You're wailing over something that you should have pain tolerance to overcome. Oh, my, Din."

"Oh, so you're telling me you know monsters that periodically pull your hair out? From your eyelids? Nothing had ever come close to my face except…"

Sheik saw how she hesitated, averted her eyes at some dark memory or fear. He felt his chest twang at the sudden vulnerability the Princess held, and gently, carefully, he placed a hand on her bicep. "Why did you let them do it?"

Lynda came back to the present and growled. "Because it's not _proper_ for a Princess to look unkempt when she's going to be meeting _suitors_ in the next couple of months!"

Sheik smirked. "That's not a reason, Lynda."

Lynda huffed and said, "They said it wouldn't hurt, which was a total _lie_, and when I had enough and looked in the mirror it looked really lopsided. So I had to let them do it. And I really can't stab them with my hairpins, can I?"

Lynda's bodyguard had enough decency to look relatively guilty about that comment and added, "You're the younger twin, so you won't be bothered as much as Zelda. The suitors the King would approve of would be families with 'good' names, mostly old so; you could always challenge them into proving their worth?"

A dangerous grin formed on her lips. Sheik found himself grinning right back. "You're saying that I can _fight_ them?"

"Oh yeah," Sheik replied offhandedly, "No problem with that, as long as you keep the humiliation to the minimum."

"Hey, both of you, your evil-mood-aura reeks real bad. You think you could tone it down?"

Lynda laughed wickedly at Navi's attempt to calm them down. She cracked her knuckles against her palm, fires of mischief clear in her sea-coloured eyes, "Oh, they're so going to regret naming me _Healer_."

"I think it fits," Sheik said with a shrug, looking the other way as he did so, "Ganondorf came and broke the land. You came and fixed it. _Healer_. Zelda will fight through the politicians and the aristocrats and build this country to greatness. _Woman warrior_."

"Huh," Navi said, "That's got a nice ring to it."

"Since when were you so good with names?" Lynda asked, curiously looking at Sheik's face. He looked down at the corridor as they continued to walk, and when he turned there was that spark, a tiny light in his otherwise dark and secretive eyes, as if, he was finally opening the door to his heart a bit.

Sheik gave her a smile that she had never seen, a smile he had yet to uncover to her. "The name 'Lynda' is a Hylian version of '_Jihnde_' a Sheikah name."

Lynda marvelled at the way he pronounced the name, the 'j' a sound at the back of his throat that sounded a lot like an 'h', the last syllable open and 'a'-like.

"It comes from a plant." Sheik continued, "It flowers every three years and it lasts for about three hours. Its sap is one of the main ingredients in making red and green potion. That's where the meaning _Healer_ came from."

"What does the Sheikah one mean?" Lynda queried, "Is it the same?"

The man snorted and chuckled, his shoulders shaking in mirth. "Hardly. The Sheikah knew the plant had extreme healing abilities, but so did other plants they knew. And being called a name that means _healer_… is kind of pressuring, don't you think? It's like calling your child Destiny."

"Uhuh. You still haven't answered my question."

"…The flower I mentioned. Despite its rare appearances, it looks really normal. It's… not ugly, it stood out amongst common flowers and daisies, but it paled against roses and other extravagant flowers. The Jihnde plant was just… pretty."

A blush, for no reason at all lightly tinged Lynda's cheeks. "Pretty?"

"Yeah, pretty," Sheik confirmed with a shrug, and Navi saw that his orange glow, so sparse and separate like lonely stars, were beginning to burn a little brighter, just for the Hylian that walked beside him. "I think it suits you."

The blush dominated her face as she looked away, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "I… I'm not, _that_ pretty…"

"It certainly has gotten better with your eyebrows," he teased, and immediately sprung and ran from Lynda's screech.

Navi's light briefly turned smug before she started yelling, "_Go Lynda go_! Tackle him TACKLE HIM if you get the weight advantage you should be-"

The castle gave a collective sigh of worry, relief, and anticipation.

* * *

**Yes, yes, I know, I didn't reply to any of the reviews, and I havegood reason.**


	19. Misunderstandings

**Hello everybody! Yes, I know, I haven't updated for the last SIX MONTHS, and I have no reason except I didn't have any good ideas on carrying on with the story. The fact that it's nearly finished really depresses me (two to three chapters left now) and I wanted to lengthen it as far as possible. And I have a feeling that you're not going to like this chapter much anyway. **

**Please forgive me.**

**Now, before I carry on with the chapter, I would like to thank:**

**Umbrae Calamitas  
****Fingers905  
Mwargh  
littlegreenparrot  
Lady Tala doe  
Lady Alamantia  
Suethe  
Hero of Times  
The Ninja Squirrel  
The SilverDark KNight  
kira  
Mairu - the Lost Sheikah  
Kiara Victory Tatsu  
Steel heart  
Sachiko V  
Meg  
Healing Sword**

**And everybody else for sticking with me for ever and ever and ever.**

**Special apologies to _WatcherandReader_ for not sending this document to her/him before I posted it up. You're the best beta, you truly are, but I had to send this online before the fan-girl in my head decided to murder me for my intolerance.**

**So here you have it: Chapter 19**

**_

* * *

_**_**Misunderstandings**_

Sheik looked down at the letter that lay innocently on his desk with trepidation.

It was not that there were spells of destruction or secrecy on it. It was not addressed by a mage with a power that matched his own (now _that_ was something to worry about), nor delivered to him in an unorthodox fashion. He had seen the Traces of fear of a maid, knowing who exactly dwelt in these quarters. Nor was it a letter of blackmail, or anything openly sinister. All it said was:

_You are summoned to the Throne Room after training_.

But still, it worried him. Everything that had something to do with the Royal Family worried him. Well, maybe except…

"Lynda," he sighed, "I still don't know what you're doing here."

"Like I said," Lynda replied slowly, her fairy friend Navi swirling over some of Sheik's candles near the letter, "I'm going to be meeting suitors soon. I need your help."

"You expect me to help you when I'm not even supposed to talk?"

"You'll be in the room, then?"

He gave an irritable huff. "Yes, of course. You've appointed me bodyguard no matter how many people dislike your judgement, so I'll be in the room."

"What she's trying so hard to say without _deliberately_ saying," Navi sighed dramatically, intricate wings hardly beating the air as she floated, "Is that she's worried."

"_I'm not-_"

"You're worried?"

Sheik's gaze was incredulous, and Lynda blushed heatedly under his red gaze. "What are you worried about?"

"It's just…" she rubbed her arm, looking at the floor rather than at Sheik, most of the time. The youth used that to advantage and freely thought her adorable for it. "You remember Garth, don't you? He was noble, but he was nice too. How do I know with one glance that they're bad or good? How do I know whether that, even though I don't want to marry them, I don't want to be their friend? It's just that, you've been here a whole lot longer than me, so I was wondering whether… you know… you could give me advise about them…?"

Sheik sighed, glad that, ultimately, Lynda had come to him instead of Zelda for help. He hoped the sigh sounded exasperated to her. Sheik checked her expression, and by it, he thought his acting was exceptionally good. "So, who's coming?"

"I don't know."

Sheik spluttered. "You don't—you don't _know_?"

"They're not telling me."

"Oh gods…" Sheik wiped his face, and this was not acting. "Alright, alright, look. You know the room behind the throne room, the parlour-drawing room place. The meetings will go there, and I'm guessing suitors will come to you one by one. I'm not telling you anything on what gestures I'm going to use, because Zelda will be looking for them so, guess for yourself. You'll be able to do that right?"

"Yeah. I guess." Lynda seemed hesitant, but nodded resolutely, as if to reassure herself more. "I'm alright. I can do this."

"Right then," Sheik smiled at her even though she couldn't see, "Would you like to start training about now?"

Her reply was relieved to be back on familiar territory. "Yes. Yes please."

""""""""""""""""""""""

"You know," Navi floated around Lynda's head as she did some stretches, "You could've been honest with him."

"What are you talking about?" Lynda muttered, stubbornly avoiding eye-contact with the fairy, despite the fact that Navi had no visible eyes.

The fairy snickered. "You know what I'm talking about. Oh sure, the 'Garth-reason's half true, but what you really wanted to say was-"

"There was nothing else to _say_-!"

"_I have to look at suitors but I want you to be there just to see how I don't like it and how much I'd rather spend my time with you_," Navi whined out in what was oddly familiar with Lynda's voice. She snickered wickedly at Lynda's embarrassingly red-hot face.

"That is _not true_," the princess insisted far too insistently, "Just because I don't want to make a bad impression-"

"Since when have you been bothered about impressions in this castle anyway?"

Lynda would have gone redder if it were physically possible. "Well, since I'm going to be staying…"

"Since _when_ did you decide you were staying?" Navi tumbled through the air, giggling like a child as Lynda mentally buried herself in a deep hole to steam herself into a mass of pulp.

And Sheik had to show up. Lynda, in a panic and _refusing_ to let him see that her face was red (she'd die of humiliation if he found out the _reason_) she slashed her sword out of its sheath and leapt into attack.

Of course he was ready for it.

"Damn," she muttered, as the blade held, "What are those anyway?"

"Kunai." She could sense the smirk in his tone and she grinned right back. "I made them myself."

"…Them?"

As she spoke, the cool, sharp edged blade caressed her jaw like a lover. Lynda gasped, freezing rigid. Sheik chuckled, his whisper sly and husky. "Embarrassed you lost so fast?"

Well, at least she had a legitimate reason to be red, now. "You cheated."

Sheik snorted, retracting his blades from both weapon and neck. "Many have confused cheating with the notion called 'element of surprise'. Doesn't your sudden attack on me count as cheating?"

"…_Damn it_."

"Why are you so hot in the face, anyway?" Sheik moved to touch her where his weapon had connected with her skin, but gently moved away, "I didn't graze you, did I?"

"N-no,"

"Then how about we carry on? You don't want to be late for your suitors,"

Unexpected hurt and anger rushed her. He meant it as a joke, she knew that. But it still flared, still burnt, at the thought, the _idea_, of Sheik ever thinking that she ever wanted to be with someone other than… than…

"Ready or not!" She cried out, swinging her sword.

He was ready. He had always been ready. He swiped out with his two weapons, locked her broad blade and manipulated it into the ground. Like a viper he leapt, above her marooned weapon, gently nudging the hollow of her throat to tip her over.

But she never hit the ground. No, before gravity could slam her down, he had her in his arms, laughing breath tickling her forehead, so close that she could feel his warmth.

"You make it so easy for me sometimes," Sheik chuckled gleefully, as he put her down onto the grass, "I'll fight you as soon as you calm down, Lynda, or else we'll be going nowhere."

As Sheik turned around and began to walk off, Navi snuck by to Lynda's left ear and snickered, "You're in love."

"I am _not_."

"Denial is always the first step, sister mine."

"""""""""""""""""""""""

When Sheik entered the Throne room as summoned, he immediately got a bad feeling. There was a guest standing near the throne itself, while Zelda and the King sat in their own seats respectively. For a second he couldn't help but think that _surely_ they must have something better to do than sit around doing nothing, but he quickly amended that, well, Zelda was a better ruler than any he had read over through the history books, despite the fact that she was not his personal favourite acquaintance, nor in fact have the right to rule.

Ah, well. Life.

He approached the King, noticing vaguely that there was a figure there that shouldn't be there, and did not bow. He crossed his arms instead, a stance worthy of an obstinate Impa. Of course the monarch frowned.

"Welcome, boy," King nodded gruffly, "I trust you're feeling well,"

"Very," Sheik shrugged, "What do you require of me, King?"

He seemed pleased that the youth seemed ready to listen and obey. Zelda gave a worried frown as she realised that just because her father required his service it did not mean the Sheikah would follow through with it.

"First, inform us of your position in the castle."

The King's expression was smug. Sheik gave an unimpressed sniff and replied, "I have had many over the years of service, _my lord,_ which specifically do you wish to be notified of?"

"Your current position, please," Zelda nodded her head politely, and Sheik couldn't help the proud tone his voice took as he said,

"Military attendant and Guardian of the Princess Lynda Harkinian, your Majesty."

Jerold was flabbergasted. "I don't recall-"

"She trusted my abilities, and saw worth in my heritage." He shrugged and gave a sadistic grin that perhaps only Zelda and his Aunt—hidden deep in the throne's shadow—would notice beyond his cowl. "And perhaps she saw the symmetry between herself and yourself, Princess."

Zelda's smile was ironic, almost resigned. The King blustered, face red.

"What of your bonds, _Sheik_?"

"The Surface marks have been released," he replied, coolly, inwardly scoffing at the King's attempt at humbling him.

"Then there is work to do," The monarch clicked his fingers, and as if from nowhere the same mages that chained him stalked forward, and Sheik couldn't repel the shiver that skittered down his spine, like hissing snakes tumbling down a cold, rocky mountain side.

He took a step back and curled his fists. He would escape this. He would fight them, and tear them apart and make sure the Royalty would-

"Your Majesty, I must enquire," the shadow that should not be there spoke, "Why is the boy so afraid?"

Sheik's power roared to life and flared in his hands as purple fire for he was not a boy nor _afrai­-_

The flame died when he saw those eyes, the features, the jaw that was shaped exactly like his.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

When the suitors came, Lynda was hard-pressed to judge them for herself, as Sheik seemed to be most inattentive at the meetings. But maybe because some of them were more obvious than others, the Princess wasn't so sure. But Navi tended to be a help as well, so using the warning signs her two best friends gave her, Lynda could tell whether the people were good people or not.

The first man was old, so he was dismissed immediately as a prospect of marriage, but he had interesting stories to tell, and he had obviously been humbled by some hardship in life (Navi had gone sort of yellow green before settling to blue) so Lynda had kept him as a friend. The boy next had been _way_ too young and was snobbish. Lynda presently told him to clear off and made him cry.

She could tell that made Sheik laugh so was very pleased with herself for the bout of bullying (she promised Furore she would be sorry about it later) and readied herself for the next.

Slowly she found a pattern in Sheik's behaviour. When Navi flashed yellow, which usually meant bad business, there were three things Sheik did. He nodded, as if drowsy, a lilt in his visible eye that meant he would look good on a wall as a trophy from a duel. Or he would sigh and polish his nails against his shirt, which must mean that they really weren't to be bothered with. When Sheik tilted his head to the side, she had a hope that he wished to decorate the walls with the suitors' intestines, because one particular had actually frightened her in the manner similar to Pravus.

But what frightened her most was when Navi flashed a lighter blue, an almost white, which usually meant good news, was that sometimes, Sheik turned away to fiddle with his shirt hem as if… as if he didn't _care_ whether she chose him or not.

Why?

She decided not pursue that thought, deciding that if Sheik wasn't paying attention when Navi thought them good, they must mean her no harm.

Then the Ball happened.

Lynda, cursing, stood up from an unsatisfactory meal and having the most trouble breathing (she was going to _burn _the corset), and with a hand held in an unknown person's, danced.

Sheik, sitting himself up in his private tree, was content to be playing his lyre on his own. Perhaps not happy, but content. It was peaceful in the night; the noise was reserved for the ball that was happening mere metres away, shut up in the tall window-doors beyond. He wondered whether she was there, wondered how much she was mock-suffering all the formalities and the introductions, and with a smile, thought on how much she would be enjoying the music filtered through to the gardens, if only she was here with him…

Damn it. Scowling, he plucked a string harder than necessary, giving an ugly end to the Prelude of Light. _Why_, why, _why_ did he have to make this so hard for himself…?

There was a click, momentarily submerging the air with the sounds and smells of the ball before damming them back into the ball room, as the doors opened and closed.

Sheik gave an irritated sigh, hefting his weight to move before the nobility noticed that he was there…

He frowned. The lady had stripped her gloves, and was now proceeding with untying her hair and the jewellery that was tangled in her blond locks. Sheik was only aware of one person who had the nerve to do that in a relatively public place (even if it was mostly secluded) and he wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to talk to her or not.

She shook her head free, and her hair fell in waves of tangled starlight, combed by fingers as pale and unearthly as the moon, veiling her eyes that he knew instinctively to be the shade of the lake, dark, deep, somehow filled with dormant power and life.

His chest lurched. His footing slipped, just a smidge, and that was enough to alert her to his presence.

Her gaze snapped up to the tree, and her face melted into a gratified smile. "Just the guy I wanted to see."

Sheik lifted surprised eyebrows. "You can see me?"

"No," she rolled her eyes and huffed. "Now get down here."

"Oh no," Sheik mock protested, "The view's far too good."

"But I can't climb up," she all but whined, "I'm wearing this dress and I couldn't get any dinner in because of the stupid corset and I'm _starved_."

"You don't seem to be wearing it now," he teased as he obliged to hopping down of his branch, although he assumed correctly when Lynda told him she had got rid of it with Furore's wind (although he decided not to jibe on the fact that he hadn't taught her new skills on the crystals just to get rid of one's undergarments). He sighed dramatically, and produced a round object from his pocket. "Care for an apple?"

Her face shone like the sun. "Please!"

He threw it, she caught it. As she scrunched on the simple fruit like a child with a treasure, he thought of the delight and the happiness that emanated from her, and realised.

Somebody would one day take it from him. No, worse, Lynda would be giving it of her own free will.

"What are you so quiet for?" Lynda enquired, cocking her head to the side as she sucked on the apple core.

Dying inside. "Enjoying the view."

Lynda chuckled almost sheepishly. "What view?"

He shrugged and turned aside, watching the sky instead.

Then his neck nearly snapped in two because Lynda grabbed his jaw to spin him round.

"_OW!_ Princess what the _hell_ are yo-"

The astonished face he saw and the hands that held his flesh gave his stomach a sinking feeling that had nothing to do with the judder in his chest. He had forgotten his cowl. He was being _seen_.

He had imagined a more orthodox situation, though…

"""""""""""""""""""

Lynda grabbed and didn't let go. Even if Death Mountain exploded, or Lake Hylia disgorged its contents on top of the rest of Hyrule, or an army ravaged the land, she would not have let go until she drank in every contour, every perfection and blemish, every detail on his face with her eyes and hands.

His jaw was heavy and sharp, the kind you punched only if you wanted shattered knuckles. She traced a scar along it, and maybe, the rumour about a fight with a wolfos wasn't so false.

Her fingers traced the bridge of his nose, the curve of his cheek bones. She felt the coarseness of his eyebrows, the forehead that was threatening wrinkles if he didn't quit his frowning. His eyelids, the curve they traced, the lashed that seemed long for a man's, the shape of his whole face, stubble on his square chin, his…

Lynda flushed as her fingers brushed over his lips, ones that had twitched upwards in her possessed _groping_, eyes half lidded with amused resignation.

"Why is it," he asked slowly, his hot breath on her fingers making goose-bumps flare across her arms, "That every time I talk to you, you're down?"

"You… you just happen to be around when I need a laugh."

"You're not laughing."

Her gaze dropped, and so did her hands. "It's just…I…"

Kindly, he touched the top of her head, thinking that it was almost fair that he did so. "Hm?"

"I forgot." She seemed to struggle before blurting out, "I forgot that you were more than just Sheik, that you were Savir Varekai, and that name just feels so strange to me when it shouldn't because it's _you_ but I'm just so _used_ to you being… just…"

"Not really," he shrugged, cupping her jaw in his hand, making her meet his eyes, "As long as I wore that cowl, I _was_ ultimately Sheik anyway. Besides," he smiled, "It wasn't really me that you forgot."

Lynda flushed again, as his hand now left her jaw and in turn she lifted hers to him. "Good evening to you, then, Sir Savir Varekai."

He took her hand, kissed it. But his smile was wan. "The thing is… I don't think I'll be a Varekai very long."

"Huh?"

"I…" now it was his turn to struggle. A cruel snarl twisted his expression. "I've been freed by my dear _Father_, and he expects me to take his name."

"…Huh?"

"Varekai's my mother's name. I've always looked like her except…" he gave her a quizzical eye. "Are you alright?"

Lynda broke from her horrified reverie, pale and unearthly as the moon. "I-I'm fine. It's just… you're leaving. For good."

He shrugged, looked at the sky again. She wondered whether he noticed how cold it had abruptly become, how cold and desolate the night suddenly seemed. "You could put it that way, I guess."

"Wow, I mean, congratulations!" Lynda forced a smile, a laugh, a cheer, as heaviness that nothing to do with jewels weighed heavily on her chest. "You're finally out of here! Oh do I _envy_ you, you sod, when are you leaving? Where are you going to be? What, what's your father like?"

How could she stop this? Who was he going to be with? Why did this hurt? Did he look happy? No, he didn't, but if he didn't want this, he would say so, he would tell her so, laugh like a smug thief and tell her all the things he would do to torture the duke that was taking him away, away from her, from his friend, his…

What was she to him, anyway…?

"You want this…?" she stepped forward, grasped his hands, tried to gouge at the reasoning behind his eyes. But she couldn't read them at all, they were foreign, alien, the face she had never seen didn't seem to correspond with the face she had always known.

It frightened her more than anything else.

"I guess…" he muttered, his gaze almost blank as he met hers. "It'll be good to be finally out of here, but…" he faltered, sighed, and added, "I couldn't have done this without you."

Then I wish I had nothing to do with it. I wish that you would stay forever and ever and ever. She wanted to scream it over and over, but all she could do for herself was release him and look away. "I'll be alright, you know, I'm over this… and you will be too. I mean, alright, you'll be alright. … I guess this is goodbye."

"It doesn't have to be," Sheik, no, Savir looked concerned. "It's not like…"

"You're right, it'll be good for you to leave. You've wanted it for so long, and even I knew that." shaking her head as she rushed off, "Anyway, I left Navi in the room, she'll start complaining that I left her again, even if… yeah… I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, waving at her, noting that in her hurry, she had forgotten the things that she had stripped off in the grass. Odd. Had she ever done that before…?

Later, Lynda stumbled into her room, shaking fingers turning the key at her door, the instrument falling with a cold, heavy _thunk_ as her trembling fingers refused to hold it. Gasping, tears threatening to spill across her face, iron bands wrenching her lungs, Lynda clawed at her dress, tearing at the silk, the finery, everything that had seemed so suddenly normal and tolerable only minutes ago.

"Lynda?" Navi whisked to her side as the Princess stripped the outer shell of the dress, leaving it crumpled on the floor as she trembled in her gossamer under-gown. "Lynda what's wrong?"

"I was _stupid_!" she yelled, throwing down her fists to her sides, "Stupid! I thought, I thought that…"

_Without thinking she grabbed the dagger that she kept in her boot and slashed at the rope…_

Her laugh of despair was watery. She slapped her face and moaned. "What did I expect…?"

_She grabbed the knife at her belt and charged, roaring with a rage she hadn't felt since…_

Her back hit a wall and slid down, down, until she was squatting in the carpet, tears splashing onto her knees, "The first time we met, I was so _hostile_… even sent that flood on him and…"

_Sheik stood on the false panel. He heard an ominous click. It was only then that he knew…_

"I said…"

"_You know nothing about me…! I had to endure things you'd __never__ understand! And I'm afraid of nothing. __Nothing__!"_

"Why would he have loved me, Navi?" Lynda wiped her nose, sniffling loudly, "I'm everything he _hates_. Royal, stubborn, whiney, clingy, annoying, rude, assuming, naïve… I didn't even know him and I judged him. I thought I had the worst deal when he… he… I-I thought he felt the same about me."

"_Unlike you, Princess, some people have things to do," Sheik snapped, jerking his arm away from her grasp…_

"_I have everything against you,"_

"_That's what we are to you Hylians, tools for sacrifice or entertainment. You think you're so __great __lording it over us, when all you do is strip us of our pride and force us deeper into the limelight, where we don't belong and don't want to be."_

"He doesn't deserve to be here. He deserves more than this."

Lynda remembered the cut that she had inflicted him, the one that made him look as if he had been crying blood. Why wasn't _she_ crying blood, when her tears held enough heat to be red as his eyes?

"What kind of Hero of Time am I, anyway?" Lynda sobbed, burying her face in her knees, "How can be so afraid of letting one person go?"

* * *

**I'm guessing you hate me right about now. But please don't worry, I love happy-sappy-lovey-dovey endings. It will happen.**

**The last scene really beat me up because I wanted it really romantic but without it being too cheesy, and there was this _perfect_ song that totally explained the mood, so I'm going to have the url to hear the music here:**

It's called Manchild.

These are the lyrics:

Every time you crave for me, I'm here  
And anything you hunger for, I'll share  
And I will be quietly standing by  
While slowly I am dying inside

Hold me in your arms  
And let me be the one who can feel  
Like I am a child in love

Every time I talk to you, you're down  
Every time you need a laugh, I'm around  
When you forget I'm here, I'm not  
It isn't really me that you forgot

Hold me in your arms  
And let me be the one who can feel  
Like I am a child in love  
Whisper now, and tell me how  
You'll watch me and tell me  
Somehow, I'm gonna be all right


	20. Final Nights

**Hello, everybody! Yayzuz, I updated relatively early! May the earht shake at my awesomeness. XD**

**Jokes aside, I am so, so, sorry for my slow updates. I should be punished, but there you go. I always bribe my way out wiht these chapters, don't i?**

**To make up for my slowness, I made this chapter completely chockfull of FLUFF. And it's fairly longer than my normal chapters. There will be lovey-dovey-ness, and hopefully cute. Recommended for rabid fangirls.**

**Note to _TheWatcherandReader;_ I hope you got my email, and if you didn't, I would just like to clarify that I sent my chapter over to you more than a week ago but I got impatient so I put this up without Beta anyway. Sorry. (T.T) I must have the wrong e-mail address or something...**

**Anyway... thanks for reviewing to teh following people:**  
**_Sachiko V  
mwargh  
LordBahamut'sGirl  
littlegreenparrot  
Finger905  
Lady Alamantia  
TheWatcherandReader  
Meg_**

**_Meg _(because you're anonymous and I can't reply to you): I'm glad you think that, or else I would be in deep trouble... Anyway, Sheik's dad was supposed to be sudden, but he'll be explained in here.**

**I hope you like that chapter!**

_

* * *

Final nights_

Lynda spent the rest of the week _not thinking_. She did not want to think. Or feel. Or be felt by. She drove herself exhausted in training, actually listened and questioned and was _attentive_ with Mistress Sarren's lessons, rode Epona until she was sore (Malon had given her officially as a present) and kept well awake in the night, dancing, listening to music, forcing down at _least_ a cup of wine on each occasion. Sleep was quick and deep, where no dreams tormented her.

Then she had a reason to be so red-rimmed in the eyes, a reason to have such a hard time breathing because of the ache in her heart that had nothing to do with exhaustion.

And Navi was worrying herself to death.

"Lynda, are you sure-?"

Lynda grunted. She stepped, slashed and the straw dummy broke in two. Another step, stab, stab-stab-stab, and another fell into grassy oblivion. Twist turn slide, and another split in half, and Lynda stepped to a ring of them, darting, sword biting, tearing at imaginary innards.

"You can talk to me, you kn-" Navi dodged a sword as it swung to dismember a scarecrow's head. Lynda's moves were getting sloppy. Her breath was ragged, her arm shook. She stumbled over her own feet.

"Honey, please, you have to snap-!" Navi tried to weave into Lynda's sight, but the girl had closed her eyes, screwing her face up in the effort of slashing, leaping, stepping, sweat trickling down her nose and hair, lips parched with effort and lack of water.

"Lynda-"

Her face snapped open and it was filled with pain. "_What do you want from me_!?"

With a yell of mindless frustration she drove her practice sword into the earth and ran, leaping over walls and boundary lines like hurdles in a race.

That was the last straw for Navi.

""""""""""""""""""""""""

Only a day later, when Lynda was pressing clumsily and mindlessly with a new invention by the name of _piano_ (the harp that had been offered to her she refused to touch) by its teeth when a solider burst into her room, shocking Mistress Sarren out of her glasses.

"How _dare_ you-!"

"Your Highness!" He thrust himself into the ground in a kneel, head bowed against his raised leg. His voice echoed funny in the metal helmet, and from his cloak and excessive armour, perhaps high in rank. He seemed to have come back from a long scouting mission. "There has been an occurrence in the south east that only you can address!"

"Hm…?" she replied dully, poking a white tooth in the piano to make a rather stupid sound,

"The plains bordering the forests, your majesty!" There was a distinct panic in his tone, "If we do not hurry all will be too late!"

"The…" she seemed to wake from a stupor, eyes sharpening with worry, mouth curving to form a real expression, "The Kokiri? Wh-what's happened to them?"

"There is very little time," the knight (what else could he be?) stood and beckoned, "The struggle is truly beginning, and-"

"Well let's go!"

Lynda burst out of the room and dashed to her own. She was running indecently fast for a Princess, and had her skirt hitched up in her hands far too much. Her shins were clearly visible. "What's happened!?"

The knight kept pace with her easily. "The event is a rare one, my lady, to flourish so openly under the sky…"

The knight was making no sense. Fear gripped her heart as she slammed into her room to get changed, wondering whether he was keeping the details as closed as possible to make her feel secure but it was much worse, much much worse, oh she hoped it wasn't bandits or a wild pack of possessed wolfos she hoped Mido and everybody else had escaped to the Temple-

She burst out, green tunic and sword and green hat out of habit, and before she could open her mouth to ask for directions and for Epona to be readied, the knight grasped her wrist and _yanked_.

She hit his chest, and they were spinning, spinning in darkness and twilight and world full hissing and coiling corridors. She screamed, and when light returned pushed herself away, sword already in hand.

She hunkered down, muscles taut for a fight. "What, was, _that_?"

"Teleport," the Knight shrugged nonchalantly, panic and urgency wiped away, "It seems as though I have a grudge to settle."

Lynda hissed and her face was twisted with rage, "What _grudge_?"

"Hell if I know," the man raised a hand to unbuckle his helm, "I seem to be the one suffering from it."

Lynda's patience, thinned by exhaustion and lack of sleep, _snapped_. Yelling she thrust forward with her blade, straight at a kink at the shoulder of his armour.

There was a ring of metal and her weapon came to a shattering stop. The girl dropped her blade, cursing her now stinging hands. She glowered up, fists bunched to hide weakness, thinking of what kinds of weapons he could draw out of nowhere…

Thin blades. From his knuckles. Four and them.

Lynda's mouth went dry, as the helm clunked onto the grass.

"Hi Jihnde."

She swallowed, all the moisture from her mouth somehow gathering in her eyes and nose. This was so unfair. So unfair…

"We need to talk, and I need to show you something. Come on," he extended to her a hand, and the armour on him disappeared with a whisk of purple vapour. He wore a long scarf, almost like a cape, and his suit was blue, with swirls of gold. It suited his complexion. It brought out his eyes.

"What is there to _show_," Lynda managed to sound angry, "There's no attack, we're not even anywhere near the Kokiri forest, you lied to me,"

"What I said," he said with far too much patience, slightly disconcerting her with the fact that his mouth was moving in synch with the words he was forming, "That there was an _occurrence_ in the _south-east_ that only you can address. I also said the _plains_ bordering the forests. I did, however, mention a struggle, and we are definitely missing out on it."

"What," she sneered, because it was so much easier to spite him then pretend to be okay about the fact that he was _standing right in front of her_. "Because I'm a Princess and my kind shouldn't fight?"

"No," he replied incredulously, "Why would I use the words _rare_ and _flourish_ for an implied invasion of your home? I would call that sadistic, and that was not the mood I was going for."

"Just what do you want from me?" she whimpered, weakly limping to the floor, tired, so tired of everything, her arms ached from the sword and shield…

"Well you did one thing without my asking," he replied contemplatively as he scratched his head, "Now look around. I've already given you a hint."

She looked up from the grass, trying to look at him, but she could only look at his mouth. She looked down, looked around, and all she saw was a bush of prickly branches, with leaves broad and pointed and there was a tiny white bud, as big as the nail on her thumb.

Her eyes widened. She crawled the few feet left to stare at it, and there was a soft laugh from her supposed kidnapper.

"That's the one."

It was shivering, despite no wind. Lynda carefully lay down onto the grass, making herself eye level with the pretty thing, "You remember what I said?" he whispered, hunkering down next to her, placing a hot hand onto her back, "It flowers every three years, but lasts up to three hours. But this one may not last that long; it's the last to bloom."

It gave a twitch, and it cracked. A single petal released itself from the crowd, looking wilted, too thin to be really beautiful.

But it shone like starlight.

The others began to unfurl like monkey's tails, uncoiling from rings like half rotted ribbons of sun-glistened snow. When the first stamen flicked out it was crumpled and the anther was half black, and soon the others popped out too. By a long, laboriously luxurious minute, the flower was fully open, and it was a spider, a tentacled thing, starlight mottled with gnats of silver clouds, it was not beautiful, it was not ugly.

"It's pretty," Lynda whispered, raising a finger to lightly touch one of its spindly moony petals, and it curled at her touch, like an infant's hand.

"I hoped you'd like it," he murmured from behind, his hand still on her back, unmoving, burning. "Its imperfections keep the bugs away, including the bees. But the plants usually accumulate like a massive army—this ones an odd-ball—and when the sun hits them right, they're said to look like-"

"Starbursts?" Lynda guessed, and he nodded ascent. Sighing, she closed her eyes a second. She opened them. "I can see it."

"That's what attracts the bees in." his hand left her back, and the cool air felt uncomfortable through her clothes. "Because of the tight knit the bud tends to be in, the pollen finishes creating itself after the flower blooms, giving the sun plenty of time to get into the right position to make the flower look good for feeding."

Lynda chuckled and tapped the flower again. "I always try to tell the rest of the castle that plants are smart, but they never take me seriously."

There was a long pause, a moment of silence, where the breeze and the call of distant birds and the gentle rustling of the trees a little further off embraced them.

The question was uttered quietly, with concern. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Lynda froze, and concentrated on the flower. "I haven't been avoiding you."

"Then why have you been running yourself exhausted, hardly giving yourself any rest, or eating, or-"

"It's none of your business,"

"Oh sure, it would be if it didn't concern me. But it does."

A stab of pain made her eyes hot and watery. "How can it?"

"Lynda, look at me. Just for a second. Please."

She didn't want to, but she had to. She curled around and gazed into his eyes that had reminded her of many things, of blood, of fire, of rubies and red tulips. And of pain, so much pain…

"What am I holding in my hand now?"

Lynda looked at it. She was puzzled. "It's a flask."

"See what's inside."

Worriedly, she took the simple brown implement and uncorked it. Sniffing the opening and pouring it onto her hand, she saw that it was ordinary water.

"Can you sense magic in it, at all?"

"No," Lynda replied, frowning, "What's this all about?"

He extended his hand, tanned and scarred. "Now do the same for me."

Extremely and utterly puzzled now, she tilted the flask over his palm.

_Hssssssshh_!

Lynda cried out in shock as his hand frosted over with a layer of icicles and gave off steam at the same time. His appendage was red and shaking as he gave a wry grin. "Guess how much this hurts."

"Holy… oh gods _I'm_ _sorry_ I didn't know I-"

"Not that much," he casually answered his own question and began to shake the frost off his hand. "But it's a nuisance to say the least, not being able to drink and all. I'm guessing it to be some sort of warning. Anyway, the only hidden power that can do that kind of thing is Sage Ruto. And since I believe I haven't done anything directly to her, her lake, her fountain, or her people to piss her off… why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you!"

"I seem to be getting the impression, however,"

"It's not… it's just…" Lynda faltered, glancing down at the Jihnde flower that seemed to gesture with its spindly petals, "I mean… I-I didn't…" hastily she brushed her tears away before they dared stain her cheeks.

"… Come here, you," he muttered, half embarrassed to see her so distraught as he gently pressed her against his shoulder, not exactly a hug, but something soothing, comrade-like. He placed a hand to her hair, coiled his fingers through her locks. "First off, I'm sorry."

"What…?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mention my father earlier, and sprung him on you so suddenly. But you have to know that I hate him, _hate _him so much that if I had to choose between killing him or Ganondorf, I would have to pick dear old _dad_. He sold me to the castle without mourning the death of his mistress that was my mother, just because I looked Sheikah than Hylian. To me he's lower than a rat, a bug, or dust."

"It's not that," she lied, although it was true that it was part of it, "I mean, I'm sorry to hear that you, I mean, with your dad, and, it's… I didn't want to let you go. I promised to help you out, but in the end I just kept you here, like…"

"Actually, I didn't mind so much," He laughed against her head, his fingers still gently combing her honey hair, "Because now I know where to find my father if I want to murder him, I have an estate which I'll be devastating till it's completely and utterly in debt, and I'll be free to go anywhere I want." Here he gently made her face him, showing her his first real smile, "And if you're interested, your Highness, you can come with me."

Her lips trembled; her eyes were wide. Her teeth showed in a glowing grin, and the laughter she barely could contain bubbled up her throat. "You mean it?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I know Wild Hyrule like the back of my hand, now, can I?" he shrugged, "Not like you."

"And maybe we could go to Termina," Lynda couldn't help but blurt out, "We could check it out and they have the Carnival of Time and there are the Canyons and the swamp and the _sea_, by gods you wouldn't believe how beautiful it is…!"

"I have never heard of Termina before." He told her bluntly, "So I would be honoured if you'd take me there."

"I will."

"But the thing is…" he chuckled at her dismal face and quickly assured her, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just saying that my father is insisting that I get to his estate as fast as I can. I've delayed the happening for a few more days, including now. After that, maybe it'd take me, oh, three days to do my devious work, so until then we've got plenty of time to do sightseeing of our own." he gestured at the Jihnde, "You should enjoy it while you can."

Lynda turned, and lay back down again, glad to feel his hand against her back once more as she lightly touched the petal again.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and spilled. Spilled till the sun bowed, and the flower began to shrivel. He didn't see, because that was the last thing she wanted, but oh, oh, gods, she had Sheik back. She had him back.

They were going away together.

Her heart danced with joy, her soul shuddered with relief. Oh she was so glad, so glad…

"Pretty," Lynda sniffed approval, and Savir chuckled.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""

The moon was bright; the water reflected the light like glass of ten thousand facets, illuminating the place like a silver day.

"Welcome," Lynda bowed exaggeratedly, throwing an invisible hat into the sky, "To Lake Hylia, the best camping food joint there is in all of Hyrule!"

"…Right," Savir's eyes were half-mast with doubt.

"You doubt me sir?" Lynda tutted enthusiastically, "Shame on thee, mortal, for there is a flavour to this lake unbeaten by all but the desert boars."

"…Right."

"Oh, come on, lighten up," she muttered, punching his shoulder, "It was you that suggested we go out at night."

"Yes, I did," Savir sighed, rolling his eyes, "But I believe you mentioned the words dangerous, exciting, and unusual to describe this endeavour, and I don't see anything quite like it when it comes to eating at Lake Hylia."

"_That_," her grin was pure evil, "Is where you have it totally wrong."

"Enlighten me, then."

"Right." She clapped and rubbed her hands together to warm them from the cool southerly wind, "First we're going to hunt it, then we're going to kill it, we're going to make sure it leaves a 'remain' and then we're going to cook it on that island over there."

She pointed to the islet where a marker of a dead person was located, in-between the two bridges that led to the dead tree and the dais of Water.

"You're insane."

Lynda cocked a devious eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You do remember what happened to you when you decided to mess with graves, right?"

"What is this _happening_ you speak of sir?"

"Oh my Din…Dampe! _Bongo-bongo_! You-"

"That grave marker, actually, is a fake. Apparently some bandits got stuck in it while hording their treasure, and yes, their Redeads remained, but I took care of them! _And_ I kept the hole open to get some fresh air in, so when we're cooking in there it'll smell nothing like dead meat, believe me."

"Har, har. Just… what are we using for this hunt of yours?"

"Bow and arrow, here's a pair for you—" she threw and he caught, "You do know the spell for the Ice Arrows, right?"

"Funnily enough, I don't," Savir eyed the weapons almost warily. "I was never quite the archer-" he caught her gaze and scowled. "What are you looking so smug for?"

Lynda tried so hard to wipe the look of delighted triumph off her face, but really, she just couldn't. "I know a spell you don't!"

"That is not a big-"

"A spell! You don't! I do! _Ha_!" She pumped the air and grinned.

"…Have you finished?"

"Very much so. Here's the ring that contains the spell; just tap the arrow against it —any part of it will do—and it'll be good. The first person to collect any body part of a blue tektite with their knife gets first dibs!"

"Tek-_what_!?"

Too late was his protest, as Lynda shot an Ice Arrow into the water and a path burst from the lake, slippery and glistening and cold.

Sighing at being tricked, Savir slipped on the ring, tapped his arrow against it and shot at the lake's surface.

His iceberg cannoned out of the water, ridged and spiked with uncontrolled power. Using the spikes as ledges, Savir lunged across. He caught sight of his first tektite. It looked his way. He shot it. It burst in flames and there were no 'remains'.

Cursing, he spotted another and leapt to another path, but again, the tektite burst to flames before he could cut off any piece of body part.

Savir's shoulders drooped. "Nayru, give me a break…"

He glanced across and in the distance another column of ice burst from the lake and settled on the surface. The Hero of Time leapt across, laughing from the bottom of her soul as she skidded across the ice, bow already loaded and ready, her braided her hair whipping the air behind her.

Quickly, Savir fired his own arrow into the water, leapt, landed on the rocking platform and dashed for her. Excitement drummed his heart. There was no fun in hunting on your own, after all.

He saw her leap, fire another arrow at a tektite. It skimmed its torso, not enough damage to kill it but definitely impair it. Lynda lunged, knife swiping the air…

Savir lunged, lower to the water, easily matching Lynda's triumphant leap. His knuckle blades flashed and cut her off, in his other hand the knife swiped across the joint that connected one of its legs to its torso, and with a screech the tektite vanished; and Savir caught the leg as Lynda gave a dismal cry.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Savir kept well away from the fire, completely and utterly disturbed.

Lynda was grinning as she poked the cooking tektite meat on the fire. "That was so worth it."

"I cannot believe that you didn't warn me."

"I intended to have first dibs, matey, what did you expect?"

Savir shuddered and clenching his fist a couple of times. "Ye _gods_ that was disgusting… why did you even _consider_ eating these buggers?"

"Oh you know," Lynda chuckled, "I had no patience with fishing. I sort of tried to spear the fish with my hook, but it didn't work. I was _so_ freaked out when I got a tektite leg…"

"Not to mention the twitching." Savir shuddered once more. He had high doubts on the sensation of twitching-convulsing-shuddering of watery muscle in his hand ever leaving his physical and mental memories. That fact that it had attacked him with its barbed claws didn't help.

Lynda grinned almost stupidly, ecstatic about the fact that she was never, ever, ever going to forget the look of shock, horror and disgust Savir's face had displayed.

"Come on," she sheared off a strip of meat from the leg, pinkish muscle with green blood, "First dibs."

"Are you sure it isn't poisonous?"

"That's the dangerous part of this endeavour."

"…You're not serious."

"Of course I'm not, just eat it."

Warily, he took the strip from her, gave her a look that said If-I-die-I-will-haunt-you-and-give-you-the-same-unholy-death, and took a bite.

He chewed. Swallowed.

He gave a half-impressed _hmm_. "Tastes like chicken."

"Doesn't everything?"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda yawned widely, and Navi nudged her forehead. "Come on, what happened next?"

The Princess grinned. "He had this really smug grin like he was saying _I OWN you _and then he caught the leg."

The fairy burst out laughing. "Oh I wish I'd been there! Oh _gods_ I wish I'd been there!"

"Thank you so much for keeping watch for me and stuff," Lynda slapped her hands together and grinned. "But you still owe me."

"Aww…"

"You told Ruto about my mood and that was a _low blow_. Did you know what she made the water do to Savir?"

"Yes, because I told her it might be a good warning for him that he was doing _something_ wrong."

"But _Ruto_? Savir _knows_ what the poem is to her song, what if he got a hint that…" Lynda blushed, hands clinging the air in desperate fear. "What if he…"

"He hasn't. I can tell."

"That aside," Lynda continued with irritable relief, "Since you've told Ruto, I bet all the sages know how I feel."

"That was the point, darling."

Lynda scowled at Navi's smug tone. "I'm never inviting you to our outings. Ever."

"Oh it's fine," Navi replied loftily, "Can't have a third wheel in your dates, now, can we?"

"They're not dates, Navi," Lynda sighed, a tinge of sadness in her tone, "We're just… hanging out."

"_Whaaaaat?_" Navi whined, "But you guys made up, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but…" she shrugged, "I still haven't told him I love him. Or vice-versa."

"So… you at least admit that you love him."

Lynda's laugh was wry. "Of course. It'd be self-torture if I didn't. Now I can sort of live with it, well, not _live_ with it, just… accept what I get, and be grateful for it, you know. And when we get out of this castle-"

"Emphasis on the _we_," Navi interrupted,

"Yes, yes, _we_, will have plenty of time to see how Savir feels about me. And maybe I'll be able to tell him, who knows?"

"Or I can just whisper it to him when he's half awake. It'll definitely make the process faster."

"You do that," Lynda narrowed her eyes at her Spiritual Guide, "I will personally snap your wings in half."

"Oooh, Savir topped you there. He threatened he'd snap them in quarters."

"When was this?"

Navi burst into an episode of 'Tra-la-la-las', to successfully avoid the question as the man himself strolled by them, murmuring quickly into her ear, "Sun-down, Kakariko."

"Gotcha."

A shiver of anticipation crossed her back, aided by the brush of warmth his arm had radiated against her own. Not that the said corridor was crowded…

Savir turned a corner, sunk into its shadows, and huffed. "Can you please stop stalking me?"

Impa's presence was everywhere. In the shadows it always was. But particularly it was behind him, mirroring every move he made, back on back, head on head, like a sticky reflection that refused to let go. Or kill him if he tried anything funny.

"Concern towards family is unacceptable now?"

"The family you _betrayed_, perhaps."

"I feared the power you now have may corrupt you. Corrupt you further."

"Oh, please…"

"You've changed."

"For Din's sake, everybody changes, for good or bad is not up to you. Now why are you stalking me? Did Zelda put you up to it?"

"My concern lay with you, and hers with her sister."

"Well, I love her, so you can go away now."

The astonishment in the shadows was obvious and easy to escape from. Savir burst into the light and quickly walked away, red-faced with rage or embarrassment, he couldn't really tell.

Impa phased out, only a second later. She sighed, shoulders tempted to droop. Her nephew had changed so much…

"What do you think of this, your Highness?"

Impa scowled at the corner in the corridor, and the Sage of Time sheepishly stepped out. But somehow her demeanour remained regal and tall, and Zelda's smile was relieved. "I think everything is well."

"Oh?"

"Lynda's sentiments are obvious," Zelda shrugged, "I warned her of Sheik—or should I say Savir?—only because I feared his manipulative nature. But if he truly loves my sister, I do not see why we have to fret any longer. I must say I don't know Savir enough to say whether they make a good couple, but I'm sure Lynda will make the right decision for her."

Impa sighed, shook her head. "If you say so, your Highness."

Zelda's laugh was a little ironic. "The opinions of a Sage of Time and a Hero of Time tend to be worth listening to, no?"

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"So what are we doing tonight?" Lynda asked yawning a little into her fist, "I…I need to call in sick soon, I've got purple bags under my eyes…"

"Don't you always?" Savir cocked his head to the side, as he got his pack secured. "As far as I'm concerned, they've been around since the first day we met."

Lynda's smile was wry. "Fourteen years ago, seven years ago, or just a couple of months back?"

"All."

"Well I have to look healthy for the stupid aristocracy, and that usually involves make up. The last thing I need is for myself to cry because my eyes burn from extra powder round my bags."

"I see," he said. Clearly he didn't. Or pretended not to.

Lynda scowled. "I don't like you."

"Fair enough." He sighed, hefting his pack over his shoulder, "I guess you won't want to go riding with me, then."

"Riding… what?"

"Kargaroks."

"Take me or I kill you." She had never, ever, ever heard of them before.

"Fair enough," Savir laughed, "Here, I'll take us to the opposite side of Death Mountain, it's where most of them roost."

"Okay," Lynda put her hand on his shoulder. "Let's go."

Under the sun's dying rays, Savir's smile was wry. "Actually, you have to be a little closer for this to work."

"Oh, uh… how close?"

Lynda kicked herself as she asked. Stupid question. _Real _stupid question. His grin was… not smug, but it made her feel the last thing she would want to do is go near him for fear of her sanity.

"This close."

He grabbed her, Lynda yelled. She was suddenly flush against him and they were in the realm of hissing and coiling corridors and then out, Savir carefully shielding her face so she didn't have to see the nightmare. The last thing he wanted was for her to reject him after an unnecessary fright.

Lynda struggled out of his grip, half frowning half… _pouting_? "That was low."

Savir couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. "I'm the one that's leading tonight's expedition, no?"

"Yeah, but…" The sun was nearly under the horizon. In its red glow, Lynda looked like she was blushing. Nonsense, Savir told his hopeful half, you're an idiot.

"Fine, fine," Savir mock sighed, raising his hands in defeat, "From now on I swear I shall touch your royal skin only if you deem it acceptable."

Lynda punched him, scowling. "Where's the Kargaroks? What _are_ Kargaroks?"

"Giant birds," Savir swung his pack onto the ground at opened it. The stench made Lynda cry out and gag. Unfazed, Savir carelessly produced a pair of dead ferrets, a handful of rats, and what looked suspiciously like tusks of a giant boar, half rotted oozy meat and fat dripping off it.

"That…" Lynda struggled with herself to think up a good word to describe the atrocious smell and sight, before hissing out through her hands, "Is _disgusting_."

"Call it repayment for the Tektite trick," Savir grinned easily at her, before separating the pile of corpses to two. "Anyway, Kargoroks. Giant birds, carnivorous, known for eating Hylians, and if they're desperate, Gorons. In theory, creatures of the world, but in truth, they're monsters. I think Ganondorf's reign and meddling in dark magic made them sort of… hybrid."

"And we're riding them."

"Yes, we are."

"You know," Lynda tried cautiously, pulling her hands away from her mouth and nose now that she was used to the smell, "I thought we were supposed to get to know each other a little more in these… things that we're doing before you leave for your dad's and ruin his life, you know? For the trips ahead."

"Very true. However," Savir smiled at her from his crouch, and didn't see the smile back because she was standing in the sun's shadow. "The adventures that we're planning, I'd rather do outside of Hyrule because I don't think we'll be able to do anything dastardly entertaining in this country ever again. They're going to hunt us both down as soon as you run away with me …"

They both realised how romantic that had unintentionally sounded, and there was an awkward silence. Savir wiped his hands slowly on his dark trousers, watching his Princess from under his fringe. But her face was in shadow, and the sun had completely dipped under; so all he saw was a plain of darkness that resembled her form, a slender being in tunic and leggings and hat. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought her a man.

But she is, Savir couldn't help but think, in her own little way.

Lynda felt nothing like it, however. For the first time since she was born, she wished she wasn't wearing something so boyish. She always wore it; why couldn't she have chosen another garment? Does it matter to him? Would it be better if she wore… she blushed at the thought of wearing a skirt.

"So," he stood, handing her one bag full of dead vermin, completely derailing her girlish train of thought, "We're going to share a ride, because they're vicious and even I've only done this once."

"Why did you do it in the first place anyway?" she hastened to ask, concentrating to avoid a further bout of self-humiliation,

"In the other time, I had to get from this end of Hyrule to Lake Hylia without Ganon knowing, so I hitched a ride on these guys even though I knew how vicious they were." he shrugged, "It was a good thing I had lunch with me."

"Right…"

His smug, devious grin made her heart race. "Doubt me?"

She pushed forward and around the corner, eager to forget the look on his face. She carefully sidled around an outcrop of rock, and her nose wrinkled at the horrid smell of putrid rats. And there was something else there too…

Leather. _Burnt_ leather.

"That's them alright," he whispered, gesturing with his face further on, "These things feed on carrion, mostly, so that's why I brought the dead vermin."

"Lovely," Lynda scowled, glaring at the bird that was as big as a horse, long beak tough and wide, with visible teeth. Its feathers were grey-blue-black, and their eyes were like coal. "Do we ride that one?"

Savir laughed. "No, that's just a straggler. It wouldn't be able to fly far with us on it."

"So how are we-?"

"Like this."

He suddenly stood, threw, and ducked down again. There was a clatter and a roar, and a whole lot of beating wings and hoarse cawing.

Lynda paled. "Just how many-?"

"No idea."

She was suddenly pushed back against the rock and her yelp was muffled by his hand. Frantically she looked to the side where the birds were, and was glad for the hand because she would've cursed out loud. The thing was _massive_, it was the size of a two carriages for crying out loud, it had fangs and it _stank_ and its feathers were like iron and holy gods, the coal-eyes were alive with fire and malice and blood-lust.

It was chasing one of Savir's stinking tusks.

"That's the one," he murmured, heat of his body radiating against her side, "The leader always gets first dibs. It's the strongest wins in this kind of herd."

"Mmf."

"Ready?"

Lynda shook her face free. Her smile was tremulous with excitement. "Hell yeah."

Savir grinned; gods, he could have kissed her there and then.

Bad idea.

"GO!"

They dashed out and there was a burst of light from Savir's hand, making shrieks fly up from the giant birds. He shouted at her to jump on, and thinking, what the heck, Lynda jumped and straddled its back, hooking her legs over the joints that connected the wings to the torso.

Immediately the Kargarok bucked, squawking with fury. Lynda gripped the feathers with an iron fist and soon enough Savir jumped on behind her. As if the monster was a horse, he kicked it in the sides. "Ya!"

He threw a ferret across the air, where it plunged down a very conveniently placed cliff. Of course the Kargarok they rode went _straight_ for it.

Lynda screamed. She screamed of terror and adrenaline and exultation as they plunged faster than gravity into thin air, a wild beast their only form of safety and survival. She screamed so hard her voice was instantly gone, fleeing with the wind and the night. They spiralled they plunged the shrieking of the giant birds were everywhere the stars were jarring all over the place the ground was a blur tears were in her eyes her heart was going to explode-!

She screamed anew when a straggler snapped at their backs, intent on the two humanoids for food.

"Drop a rat!" Savir shouted against her ear, for the world had submitted to the roaring wind.

Lynda didn't drop it; she threw it with all her might, mindless as to where she was throwing it but either way it worked, for the cawing that wasn't rippling the flesh that she rode lessoned to dive down for the smell and taste of rotting vermin.

But again, the Kargarok they were riding plunged down for it as well.

And so the night went, the Kargaroks snapping and shrieking and cawing, the leader chased by its herd for the food that rode its back, jerking and bucking to shake them off and spinning and biting to keep the braver ones from attacking his hide. Up and down they plunged and rose, for the vermin that the humanoids dropped for free.

Three hours later they arrived after circling over the desert and U-turning at Hyrule Castle, they dropped like bricks into the Zora's fountain, and they broke the surface, coughing and splashing for the shore.

When they reached the shore they collapsed side by side, chests heaving, muscles aching.

"We…" Lynda coughed out, throat raw from all the screaming and yelling and shouting, "Are walking back."

He rolled on his side, propped his head onto his hand and grinned down at her. "Of course."

Lynda decided that maybe, i-if that smile of his could somehow be drawn out from it… wearing a dress won't be such a bad idea, just for him.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Wearing a skirt had been the worst idea, ever.

Savir looked down at her, concern creasing his brow. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she muttered sullenly, tugging the cloak around her tighter against the harsh wind of the desert, "Just dandy."

He couldn't help but smile wanly. "You're really upset about the surfing, aren't you?"

"No," she protested weakly before admitting, "Alright, yeah, I am, but it's my own damn fault anyway…"

The day before, after walking home with the Sheikah, she had been caught slipping through the window of her room, and Mistress Sarren had thought that (since her clothing had been dried through the walk) Lynda had tried to escape instead of coming back from an escape. So her room had been raided by all manner of maids and they had found perhaps not her weapons, but definitely all her tunics and 'manly' clothing.

So, planned or no, she had ended up wearing a skirt to their final adventure together in Hyrule before they ran away.

But it was hardly an adventure, sitting on top the obelisk structure that worked as the gates of the Desert Colossus…

"Well," Savir shrugged consolingly, "The desert's technically out of Hyrule anyway, so we can always sneak back for the wind season."

"If you say so," Lynda sighed, watching the sandstorm far in the distance that coiled up and danced, twirled with unimaginable power. If all had gone well, she would have ridden that. And probably enjoyed it better than the Kargarok ride, since wind-riding involved a whole lot more self control rather than controlling of mad-minded beasts…

But then again, she couldn't help but think, that now that she was sitting still she was realising how tired she was, and how much her muscles had stiffened with the extra exercise and adrenaline. The only thing that kept her relatively conscious was the pattern of the whirling sands, the stars in the sky, and their sharing of constellations.

"See those three stars in a line?"

"Yeah, the Kokiri call them the 'Great Fairies'. They worked together to give a seed life, and one gave it memories, one gave it wings, and one gave it magic, and the first fairy Hrailu was born."

"Well I have to say that that story's got more taste than the Hylian and Sheikah tales," Savir conceded, "The Hylians call it the Gate, and it's said the three lights lead to each of the Goddesses realms. So if you're in favour of Furore, you're taken to her specific gate and spend of eternity there or something."

"Why isn't that nice?"

"What, I wouldn't enjoy being prisoner forever in a red room, thank you very much."

Lynda burst out laughing. "Oh, Din wouldn't dare put you in her realm, she'll think you'll overthrow her or something."

"Don't think I won't try!" he called out to the sky, and they shared a devious grin. "The Sheikah story's a little less grandeur, too."

"So what did your people decide those three pinpricks meant?"

"We call it the Belt. If you look around it, there other strong stars, see? Join the dots and you get a shape of a tunic, some legs and arms sticking out holding what looks like a bow and arrow. Basically, this guy—I forget his name—he was a good hunter, but boasted far too often. Din got annoyed, a sent a creature to teach him humility, but it ended up in a draw. Now Furore, finding the innards of the hunter and the creature, which, she had been taking care of in her garden, she had tantrum and began to fight with Din. Nayru, tired of her sisters' bickering put the creature in the night sky to honour its passing. And Din, to appease Furore as well as to satisfy her means, she put the hunter up there too, with a Belt that shone so brightly that where he ran, the creature would follow. So every time the Hunter with the Belt sinks under the horizon, the Creature rises in the sky."

"I didn't know Din could be so… I dunno…"

"Selfish? Spiteful?"

"That story kinda makes me think that that would be exactly what you would do." Lynda admitted sheepishly, "You're hardly selfish or spiteful, well, to me, at least, but," she shrugged, and Savir was infinitely surprised to see in her expression a sense of… _admiration_? "I think Din's awesome in that story. The other ones made her seem so mean."

Savir hmfed, hoping she could not see how much that meant to him in the dark of the night. "If you insist."

"Oh yeah," she laughed before adding, "Hey, what's that one in Sheikah?"

And so it continued for about an hour, until Lynda couldn't help but yawn, shift her weight, find difficulty to keep her eyes open. Her body needed rest, but this was the last day, and they would have to separate for at least three days and she didn't want to fall asleep that was the _last_ thing she wanted…

She opened the cloak a little to let in the bitter cold of the desert wind, and she shivered violently and worse, sneezed.

Savir now looked at her with real concern. "Are you cold?"

"No," but sand tickled her nose and she sneezed again. Her face was tingling with mortification.

"Come here," he beckoned her over, opening his own cloak a little, "We'll be warmer if you sit next to me."

"Um, yeah, okay…" she shuffled over, careful to keep a friendly-ish distance from him, no matter how much she wanted to be closer, "Is this-?"

His arm snaked out and lashed around her waist and then she was being hauled, lifted, gently wrapped, and she was finding herself firmly inside his cloak as well as her own, her shoulder pressed against his.

Lynda flushed deep red. He quaked with laughter at his prank. "Body heat doesn't reach as far as you intended to sit, your Highness,"

"I knew that," she protested weakly, "But I didn't think you-"

"That sandstorm's coming closer anyway," he murmured, effectively silencing her with the heat of his breath against her hair, "We wouldn't be able to hear each other soon."

"A-alright," she wondered whether he knew what kind of effect he had on her, wondered whether he was only teasing her, whether, if he really knew what she had really wanted, then did he know about her…?

"Watch the storm. I think it'll get interesting…"

Lynda hardly cared. All she was concerned with was the heat that radiated from him, the grip that he had around her waist, and the scent of him, for the first time she could finally distinguish the fragrance of his clothes and skin, and it was wood smoke. Clean wood smoke, with an undertone of charred beeswax. It was almost like home…

Nothing else would have made her sigh, so deeply that the tiredness that she had been holding back all along surged through her mind like the sea, wave, after wave… after tiring, blissful wave…

Don't let me go, she couldn't help but think as she closed her eyes, don't take me back…

But he didn't let her go, and she was able to lean into him, rest her head against his shoulder, feel his warmth, and the distinct heartbeat at his neck. She didn't notice him cautiously slip her into his lap, the kiss so light against her forehead that it could've been the breeze. "I love you, you know," he muttered in her hair, far beyond caring whether she was awake or not, "So realise, and do something about it, please."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When Lynda woke, she knew immediately that it was dawn. And dawn was their promised time in which they _had_ to be at the castle, no matter what they'd been doing. So it was with morbid certainty that she assumed that the object beneath her head was a pillow, the cloth that swaddled her was the mattress, and the blissfully warm thing that she was lying next to…?

She opened her eyes, and in the light before true dawn, she saw a nose, lips, cheekbones catching the light, hair that draped across closed eyes and the chest that she was shamelessly burrowing her face into.

Savir Varekai.

Lynda barely stopped herself from squeaking. Oh gods, oh gods, he was right next to her _right_ next to her and he had wrapped the cloaks around them both, and they were lying in the sand and they were still in the desert and-

Lynda swooned. She realised now that her arm had been wrapped tightly around his torso, the other pressed against his chest. Their legs were tangled together, every, single part of her was somehow connected completely and utterly and intimately, to him. For gods' sake, she was using his arm as a pillow.

If Nabooru saw this, she couldn't help but think, I will _die_ of embarrassment.

But this was what she wanted or the closest she could get to what she wanted, and it warmed her so much, she was sure she would melt of bliss. She curled deeper into his subconscious embrace, prepared to sleep a little more, pretend that they shared a mutual love…

Incidentally, he moaned, and instinctively, Lynda opened her eyes again, wondering what had disturbed him…

Their eyes met.

Lynda froze, heat travelling up her neck, her cheeks, to the tips of her ears and the roots of her hair as if she were the one that had arranged them into such a position of intimacy, and not him. His eyes were half mast, a little confused, but then he seemed to take in what was what and full wakefulness assaulted him. But his expression remained blank, as if he wore his cowl again, silken and impenetrable to the eye.

"Savir…" it was a plead. She knew it was, but did he know what she asked for?

Slowly, deliberately, he rolled. Lynda found herself underneath him, the arm and hand that had pillowed her head tangling affectionately in her hair, the other holding her hand firmly but gently, fingers interlocked. His fringe mixed with hers. She felt the weight and heat of his body like a fever.

His blank expression slowly coiled into a roguish smile. "May I have this kiss, Hero of Time?"

He could have asked her for something as harmless as a dance, with that tone.

"U-um…" their foreheads touched, he was turning his head to the side. They were so close, so close…

"Alright," she murmured and closed her eyes, gripped his hand back, waiting for the touch of his lips…

"_Hey!_"

He stopped, only a hair's breath away from her. The gods had to be _joking_…

"_HEY_! What do you think you're _doing_!? Making me worried _sick _and you two are…! Unbelievable! When I come back you will both be _decent_, ready to go, at least a metre _apart_ and you had better look _innocent_!"

Navi zoomed away, fuming.

Savir, resigned that his moment had been foiled, lifted himself off of his Hero and began to untangle the cloak off of his person. "Savir…?"

He looked back at where Lynda had sat up, blushing still, looking nervous and confused in her dress. He smiled at her, leaned and gently kissed her cheek, murmuring slyly into her ear, "If Navi gets in the way again, I'm going to stuff her in a bottle and throw her in the bowls of the Shadow Temple, and I am going to have you all for myself."

Her laugh was nervous too, but it held anticipation. "I won't mind that."


	21. Binding

**Oh dear, oh dear, another long, long wait has had to pass before I could put this up. Shame on me. Shame. on. me.**

**But it's up! Yay?**

**Okay, as per usual I would like to thank:  
****_Meg  
Louiii  
Sachiko V  
Random-Kittie-Yuffie  
_****_Lady Alamantia  
TheWatcherand Reader  
Hellotoday_**

**For their kindness and support. Most for the reviews, really but hey. Still love yous!**

**And teh replies to anons:**

**Meg: Heheheh. Thanks. I know Navi gets annoying when you're playing OOT for the second time, but I LOVED her on my first go. I would have neem completely and utterly lost without that ball of blue light. Honestly, when I was playing TP sometimes I was like, 'Midna! Why aren't you talking to me! I need advice! Navi was so much better than you ugh!' Though I have to say Midna has more personality.  
I'm sorry to say there is little fluff in this one. But i hope it's worth the wait.**

**Hellotoday:  
****Review1: Thanks for your appreciation, and the ideas, but I think I'll stick to mine. I think you should write those stories since you made the dieas yourself.  
Review2: Um, LOZ is a game. Is there actual specific fact that dictates the Kokiri stop growing once they turn thirteen? And since when was Link twenty in any of the fics so far gone? I'm just going 17 because that seems to be the most popular interpretaion of Link's age, and I really don't think that can be considered a mistake. Thanks for pointing out you opinion though.  
Review3: Nah, that ain't my last chapter XD. I'm just really, really slow. I hope you enjoy this.  
Review4: And, dude. That's a REVIEW PAGE. You put in reviews. If you want story suggestions, private message (PM) the people you see on the review page by clicking onto their name and then start asking around. The review page is not a forum, thanks.**

**Okay, go ahead! Review at the end, okay? Thanks!**

_**

* * *

**__**Bindings**_

It was with little difficulty that Savir, Lynda and Navi bundled themselves into Lynda's room through the window, without getting caught by the guards. The morning was cloudy in the field region of Hyrule (unlike the desert, was empty of all clouds) and that immensely helped their cover.

Lynda was first to hop into her room followed closely by Savir, and she gave a luxurious stretch that the man took care to not look away from. The whole journey back had been an event of shy awkwardness on Lynda's part, while Savir was… to put it lightly; _open_ about physical affection for his princess.

Navi was very irritated by the time they got back.

"I think I'll tell Zelda to fix the guards as soon as she hits the thrown," Lynda chuckled, brushing sand off her sleeve, "I know now that most of them are competent, but they need something to pay attention to."

Savir paused contemplatively, and then shrugged. "If you insist."

"Aw, what's that tone fo-" Lynda trailed away, finding herself caught in his loose hold. She blushed as he bumped his forehead against hers.

"Are you sure about what you're doing?"

"…What?" those were not the words she had expected. In fact she had not expected words at all.

He sighed; moved away. He looked distracted. "Nothing. Just… like we spoke before, I'll be leaving today. I'll know what's what at my father's estate within two nights, maybe three. Five at the longest. I'll send you a message when I sneak back, with enough time to be ready for the journey. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Lynda said hesitantly, not quite sure 'what's what' with _him_. Suddenly her stomach plummeted. "Are you… you're not regretting asking me, are you?"

"No." he spoke quickly. Too quickly. "No. It's nothing. Really. I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Bye," she waved at his back as he slipped through the window and out.

Navi was very quick to throw some choice insults out the window at him.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When Savir entered his own room through the window and tried to exit it through the orthodox portal (the door) it flung open on its own and indignant blondeness burst into his face. The door slammed shut behind her.

"Zelda, why hello," Savir greeted her brightly, "What do I owe this pleasure for?"

"_What were you doing last night_?"

"I'm sorry," he muttered wincingly, "Your pitch of voice is so high I believe only the wolves heard you."

"Savir this is no laughing matter!" she half shrieked, only a midge lower in pitch. She was stalking into his room, thrusting her face into his, and for fear of his personal space Savir found himself backing away. "_Fine_, my sister loves you, _fine_ you spend time with her, but you can't stay out longer than dawn_ you can't_ what do you think _my father_ would do to her if anybody found out do you understand how much danger you put her in!? And the behaviour you displayed at the colossus was _appalling_."

The Sheikah realised then that Zelda was not angry. She was _worrying._ She was fretting as she threw her arms up in the air, over _him_ as well as her sister. …What had the world come to?

"Wait," he realised a split second later, "Lynda loves me?"

Zelda rolled her eyes and slapped her face in exasperation. "It's the biggest open secret this Castle has held since the Queen fell sick, Savir."

"You're calling me by my name?"

"I don't see any other choice if my sister is doing the same."

"The Queen's not _dead_ yet?"

"Savir!" she cried out at his balking face, "There would have been a funeral!"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "…Right. And how did you know that we were at the Colossus?"

"Nabooru saw you two and delighted in telling every one of us sages just what was happening in her domain and making Ruto particularly jealous on the subject. I hope you weren't, as Nabooru put it, _totally snogging each other's brains out_."

Savir decided wisely that he wouldn't say they were about to. "That didn't happen. But Lynda's going to be a tryst embarrassed by this…"

"Just, _please_," Zelda clasped her hands together, worry etched in her forehead, "You make her happy, I know that, but what would that amount to if you put her in danger? If you're going to run, make it clean so none would suspect!"

Savir realised blandly, now, that there was no point in hiding anything from this Sage of Wisdom. He was just glad that she didn't seem to be objecting to any of it.

He found that highly suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"I am hardly sure on whether Lynda made the right choice, if it that's what you're enquiring after," Zelda informed him truthfully, "But I must admit you have suffered enough for your past and perhaps I overestimated your malice towards those that are dear to me. I will not apologize for my discretion, however. On the point on you two eloping, I think it would give Father a good metaphorical slap in the face, Lynda and you will be able to live as freely as you like, and at the risk of sounding self-serving, I will have a clean road to the throne once more. It benefits all of us." She shrugged and added wryly, "And if I were to go on a despotic rage on my country, I can count on you to come and set things right."

"You mean Lynda."

"Oh, you as well," she smiled, "You wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to pester me."

Savir had to admit that she was absolutely right. Unbidden affection for his arch-nemesis stemmed up from somewhere that held Lynda close to his soul. "I might end up converting to a saint between you two."

"Only the Gods can accomplish that." she muttered stoically before turning away. "I apologize for intruding, but I hope I have delivered my point across and you have understood my concern?"

"Yeah. Just…" Savir teetered over his edge of distrust, before plunging over. "Lynda. She… loves me?"

Zelda turned around slowly, incredulity plain on her face. "You're uncertain?"

"Because I don't look it do I," he grumbled sarcastically, "Do you even know why she's here? She had a choice to be a 'he' and go Din knows where, she had the perfect reason to escape this place when that _bastard_ mugged her, but she stayed. Why do you think that is?"

Zelda looked properly inquisitive as she made a gesture for him to carry on.

"It's that damn sense of _honour_," he sighed, shoulders sagging, "She didn't want to leave at first because she thought she had an obligation to the Sheikah for the treaty and the maids that were nice to her. Hell it's their job to be nice to her and she _knows that_ but she still thinks she ought to pay them back! And then she goes on this rampage to know everybody because she realised that she wasn't the only one who'd gone through that mess and because she wants to do something _heroic_."

The Sage of Wisdom smiled sympathetically. "You can't imagine her leaving them for you."

"Basically."

"Savir Varekai," Zelda sighed helplessly, "Do you know what kinds of mindless things women do for love?"

Savir thought about it and said slowly, "Throw random girls in dungeons because you suspected them of plundering their said love's soul?"

Zelda shook her head despairingly with the look that said, 'I should have seen that coming'.

She also interpreted his smug look for: 'Yes you should have. Thanks for the advice. Tell anyone and die.'

"Have a nice life," she told him wryly before leaving his room.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The next morning Lynda found a tiny owl, burning with purple and orange magic, pecking at her writing desk.

With a shout of delight she rushed over, and with every peck the owl made words were burning across the paper, and it said,

_Apparently I had sisters, both older and younger, but they're all married off. I'm his only heir he has, so he's keeping an eye on me. I'm sorry it's had to come to this, but I won't be able to come back within a week to play the ideal docile son. If I can sell this land off we'll have enough funds to finance our adventures for years to come._

_I'm sorry I can't come back sooner._

_Don't forget me,_

_S._

_p.s.: I feel your pain on getting dressed up. You do not know how many seamstresses were forced on me when I got here. Ugh._

Lynda could not help but be a little disappointed. There was no explanation of yesterday's hesitation, and he had seemed so sure that he would be back here in less than three days… he must be regretting ever asking her, oh gods, he just can't say it to her, even in script…

Then the owl was hovering in front of her face, and Lynda jolted at its sudden presence. Its shell seemed to be scraps of velvet and its beak was spelled mahogany, or what looked like it anyway. Lynda wondered whether she was supposed to say something to it when it pecked her nose affectionately and Lynda could have sworn it was Savir's lips that touched her skin.

"I miss you," it said with his voice before fading away like a sun dipping down a low horizon.

"Show off," Navi huffed, fluttering her wings indignantly. "To think he thought you'd _actually_ buy that…"

Lynda was already blushing and internally swooning, and was promising to herself that she would be on her best behaviour so no one would suspect a thing. Navi, if she had an arm and a hand and a face, would have made them connect with an exasperated _slap_.

And so she spent her morning smiling animatedly to the maids, giving no teasing complaint on the what/why/how of her dress and cosmetics, which was considered a little strange from their simple-tasted princess, but was a quiet change they took advantage of in order to gossip about Castle Town. Lynda attentively listened and responded to Mistress Sarren's lessons, earning herself a proud smile from the old refined lady. She embroidered poorly and laughed. Sewed fairly well and was satisfied.

And she was fire incarnate in her sparring matches. She creamed them all, and was so gracious in her victory that nobody could feel resentful. The sword was a toy, a thing of beauty in her hands, and the fairy a halo around her temples. Many elder soldiers looked at her with patriotic pride; the younger realised that not only was she a princess, but a _girl_, and boy was she pretty.

She was still defiant when it came to balls. She spoke mostly to the 'lowly' and to the servants. The next day she received a letter from Yana who had successfully left the palace for her mother's, and was courting a very sweet man, even if he was a little slow on facts. But he had gentle hands that tended the garden that flourished with flowers and fruit, and that was all that mattered.

In the evening, however, Lynda experienced a dampener at the dinner, in a form of a man sitting next to the King.

"Navi," she muttered into her spoon, "Can you check that guy's aura? The new one next to the king? Please?"

Huffing at the request, but glad that Lynda seemed to have recovered some of her sanity, Navi looked over and gave a disapproving sound. "He's shifty."

Lynda looked at him more closely, but she couldn't find the shiftiness in his stance. He sat in his chair boldly, talked to the King with a sense of equality which the monarch didn't find offensive, and that was a feat in itself. He had his brown hair cropped short over his skull, his skin pale as cheese, and his eyes were brown, too. He had a stubbly jaw, which Lynda found particularly disgusting. She hated stubble with a passion.

She had to admit, though, that they looked a very noble pair. Old war veterans sharing good memories.

"Shifty, huh?" Lynda muttered, watching him suspiciously, "We'll see."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Over the next week she found herself getting irritated by Shifty, who somehow popped up in her plans of each day. He stayed and watched her train with the guards, smiling languidly. He probably knew that she was not supposed to be there, that the guards were keeping quiet for the sake of her honour and company, and the only person who didn't know she was there was the King.

When she glared at him pointedly and tried to make him go, he did go, but with a shrug and a careful bow.

He showed up when she was mounting Epona for her evening stroll, and to Lynda's frustration she forced herself to ride side-saddle, and that made Epona unhappy too. What made it even worse was that he decided to follow her. He had a nice horse, she gave him that, but the fact that he had replaced her usual escort really irritated her.

And it took him only a few minutes to speak. "Tis a beautiful day, your Highness."

"It could have been better," she spoke graciously, because she had to. She knew Savir was enduring this kind of thing, so she had to too. It was only fair.

Shifty laughed. "And what day could be better than this? A clear soaring sky, a touch of breeze, the green grass, and the sun, in its highest glory."

"Rain can sigh in a way the wind can't. The clouds can shine silver. The leaves that litter the place in autumn can have the lustre of copper, and the night has its share of glory, in the moon and the stars."

Lynda couldn't help but be impressed with herself, and Navi too, made a noise of approval. She had sounded _very_ wise. Not as wise as Zelda, though.

His smile shifted to a smirk. "Great words, for such a petulant tone."

Ah. Lynda scowled. He'd noticed that.

"I'm just stating my opinion."

"Then I'd be thoroughly interested in other opinions you have, your Highness," he nodded, and his smile was outwardly pleasant, but there was something only Navi could feel that made her want to swat it away. She'll tell Lynda later. "What are your opinions on marriage?"

"_Marriage_?" Lynda blurted, indignation written all over her face, "Obviously, you hadn't heard how the meetings with my suitors went. They were cast away, even if some have stayed to be friends. The more stubborn ones lost to me in sword fights."

"But as the other only heir to the throne, surely you must have some idea of a partner to rule…"

Lynda positively growled at him, for the smile that plainly told that he thought her a foolish child was really _annoying _her. "_Zelda_ is ruling, sir. _Zelda _is the heir. Goddesses forbid the day when I end up with the throne, because when that happens this country would be in chaos. I don't know anything about keeping a country."

His tone was reasonable, and politely confused. "Then perhaps a partner-"

"I'm not ruling and that's final!" it frustrated Lynda most that she couldn't challenge him to a duel, without witnesses to see the offence he'd caused her and a sword right then and there to attack him with, because he sure had one. All she could do was ride away like a coward.

Lynda was _determined_ to make sure the man left her alone.

When the man came to visit Lynda in one of her study sessions, she was ready with a good, tart, _go away_ when the Mistress beat her to it by glaring, and pointedly telling him to leave.

Through her shock (did she just say that? _Really_? But that was so unladylike!) Lynda saw that Shifty seemed a little affronted that he had been ordered by a servant, but he smiled it off, waving airily as he said, "Lady, I am here as a man of the gentry to observe the intricacies of-"

"The intricacies of this room," the mistress tapped at her glasses huffily and insisted, "Are the kinds of intricacies that belongs only to the mind of a Lady, and a _princess, _no less, and I would find it most appropriate if you took leave of this classroom, my Lord."

"Surely-"

"My Lord does not seem to understand. If you do not leave, sir, I will have the guards that foolishly let you in drag you out by your coats with reinforcements in tow. Now, if you _please_…"

The flash of anger in his eye was quickly wiped off as he gave a disappointed sigh and he backed away.

To Lynda's shock and wonder, she realised that Mistress Sarren, the bane of her mortal existence, actually cared for her in some obscure way, and more importantly, she was _human_. Lynda realised this when Sarren cancelled the rest of the lesson muttering something about 'the bastard' and 'how dare he' and 'thought he could get away with it' and finally, 'I should have worked harder'.

A 'Sarren' did not swear. Nor did she ever doubt her work ethics. If she thought she should have done better, _surely_ it must mean that she was human.

When Sarren left the room, Lynda gave her fairy sister an inquisitive gaze and asked, "What was _that_ all about?"

Navi fluttered and replied, "Hey, personally, I think she has something against that guy because the aura from her was _really_ hostile and I think it had something to do with you. Listen, before you ask, I have no idea why."

"Uh…huh,"

Lynda puzzled over the strangeness of it and the increasing suspicion of Shifty for two more days before they were blown from her mind. For by the end of those two days another magic owl came to her that morning, and its message (followed by another peck on her temple) was _See you tonight_.

Needless to say, she burst into a state of bliss. And perhaps that was her downfall.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The whole day Lynda was happily counting her weapons and masks, counting down the hours left till she ran away by folding down each wonderful finger, noting with delight that they were getting smaller and smaller.

Lynda didn't notice how harassed the maidservant looked when she gave the message that the King wished to see his daughter. Lynda didn't notice how the girl hesitated in the light of the dieing day, as if to say something more. But she slumped when her eyes met Lynda's, so happy and carefree, and quietly dismissed herself from the Princess's room. Navi was too busy fussing over Lynda's silliness to notice, too.

When Lynda closed the door to her room, she found herself yelping and giving a breathless chuckle because Zelda was _right there_.

"Zelda," Lynda gasped, "Furore you gave me a fright."

"We must talk, quickly, before we meet Father." She looked worried as they walked. There were bags under her eyes, and there was something about her expression that gave a sense of desperation. It was alarming enough to drag Lynda out of her blissful reverie.

"What's wrong?"

"It seems as if Father wishes one of us would marry."

Lynda stopped. Zelda stopped too. Lynda gave her a quizzical expression, and asked rather sceptically, "_One_ of us?"

"Yes, one of us." Zelda confirmed, touching Lynda's arm comfortingly. "I fear this is why Father sent out a search party out for you. Not only to boost his popularity, but to give himself a chance at wider alliances with other countries' royalty. There is the Old Kingdom in the south, Karazan in the north-east, and Calatia, Holodrum, Labrynna-"

"I've been to the latter two, Zelda, and I know they already have an alliance with Hyrule." Lynda snatched her limb away, swallowing down her sudden ire, "I've also been to an island that didn't exist and a land that doesn't belong to this world, and they didn't necessarily have kingdoms, so it doesn't necessarily mean that all those kingdoms you mentioned _have _any princes to marry off. And you know that anybody who puts me at the head of anything is _mad_."

Zelda was frantic. "But Father doesn't, Lynda I can honestly say that his ambition to spread his dominion has left him a heartless man. He's shunned his wife for his perfect image, he trusted Ganondorf because of impossible promises of conquest, and he _knows_ of my status as Sage of Wisdom and yet he still does not listen to me!"

"Then I'll tell him," Lynda stated stubbornly, whirling around to walk to the throne room once more, "I'll tell him he should listen to you because he's an idiot if he doesn't, that if he intends to marry me off he's a bigger idiot, and he _doesn't_ want me as an enemy if he claims himself _not_ an idiot."

"Lynda," Navi's tone was a warning.

"I still don't see him as my father, you _both_ know that."

"I know all too well, Lynda," was Zelda's quiet sigh, one that only the fairy could hear, "For he doesn't see you as his daughter, either."

All too soon the sisters arrived at the great doors that led to the throne room. They opened with great ceremony, for there was a fanfare, a crowd, a whole crowd of people, in all their best gowns and finery, jewels sparkled, white faces gleamed with cosmetics, and Lynda winced and internally frowned. Why would the King arrange a marriage with this giant audience?

Lynda quickly glanced at Zelda, and she looked mildly relieved. She took it as a good sign.

The two stepped up the long red carpet that led up to the thrown, and the difference between their stride was blatantly obvious. Zelda's lilting steps were graceful and controlled, every connection between her slippers and the carpet _meant_ something. Lynda's stride was measured, bold, and impressive. She kicked up her skirts, causing a bit of a flutter while Zelda's skirts were still as a statue's. They were imposing in their walk. Navi was proud of them both.

Both of them curtsied before their father. Zelda's was one of respect, but hardly meek. Lynda's was clumsy, but it was challenge as she held the King's eyes in a glare.

He stood from his throne and boomed out, "Rise, my daughters."

They rose. Two magicians stepped around the ornate chair and tapped their rods against the marble floor. The echo against the quiet air gave Lynda the creeps.

"Today's a special day for us all," Jerold Harkinian continued, gesturing towards the mages. Lynda took a suspicious step back, making the King laugh. "There is nothing to worry about, my dear Lynda. Come, let the Mage touch his wand against your hand."

"Don't," Navi muttered, for Lynda had been very determined to point out that the King had never spoken to her this way, _ever_, what is this all about really?

"You too," the King added, "Zelda."

The sisters looked at each other, and in silent agreement, lifted their hands. But Lynda's was palm up, as if demanding something, while Zelda's was poised as if waiting for a gentleman's dutiful kiss.

The mages approached, and the silence in which they moved in seemed impossible for such a large crowd. They touched their staff-heads to the back of the Princess' hands (the one attending to Lynda apologetically fixed its position) and the results of the connection was, again, different with each sister.

The staff that touched Lynda's hand grew a small leaf at its tip. The other formed a crystal blade.

And that seemed to be the signal for them, for the mages shouted, and their staffs were lifted once more, and with great force were rammed through the space above their hands and the princesses had no time to even flinch.

Magic burned and seared across the back of their hands. Zelda's left no mark. Lynda's did.

"I hereby grant Princess Zelda," the mage in front of the said Princess cried out, "The Official bind as High Sage of Nayru and the future Royal Advisor!"

"And I grant Princess Lynda," the other mage cried out also, "The official seal of marital engagement, and the right as heir presumptive to the Hylian throne!"

The cheer they received was wild. In the confusion the sisters stared at each other in despair, at the necklace that hung from Zelda's shoulders and the small, circular brand that marred the centre of Lynda's Triforce.

This hadn't been an arrangement. How could it have been, when everything had already been arranged?

The two spun back to their father, and he was grinning ear to ear as he brought Shifty to his side and boomed out, "I welcome Duke Serpine, who's son shall be taking my dear Lynda's hand in marriage, to this court, and inevitably to my family."

Shifty—now Duke Serpine—smiled languidly at her, and nodded his head in friendly acknowledgment.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

They were in Lynda's room once more, trying desperately to get rid of the mark on the back of Lynda's hand. Zelda was trying one last spell; any more magic on that appendage that day would fracture the bones.

Lynda frantically scratching at the skin of her hand as Zelda prepared the spell. "But… but why? Why would he choose _me_?"

"That spell the mages cast." Zelda muttered, sweat beading her forehead, "It searched something within us, and though it was well disguised, I realise now what it was."

"Then what was it?"

"It…" Zelda screw her face and then shoved the energy she had collected in her palm against the marital mark, but there was only a slight sizzle of power before it died away. The sigh the Sage of Time gave was one of despair. "It was a spell that inspected one's fertility. The leaf you produced was one of health, a sign that you will have no trouble in bearing a child. The crystal I produced, however… would mean I am barren. Or highly close to it."

Navi screech was one of outrage. "But that's got nothing to do with being a good ruler! What gives!?"

"'What gives' is the King's old-fashioned views." Zelda cursed, reaching for a pitcher of water with a towel in hand. She soaked it through, and with great care dapped it against Lynda's hand, where the skin was almost blistering from the magic and the constant scratching Lynda was doing against the black circular mark. "Women have been allowed to do little in politics, and are hardly ever put in positions of power. Despite evidence against the theory some villages around Hyrule still maintain the belief that women do not have the capacity to reason or think as well as a man."

"So…" dread was rushing through her veins faster than blood. A bed was coming to mind, and a man without a face, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the innocent looking furniture. Lynda's imagination shut down. It couldn't happen. Not again. Not now. Not when things were going so well with Savir. Not when she was so close to being _free_. "So…"

"The only job worth having a Queen for," Navi surmised bitterly, "Is to have kids and stay in the background,"

"I'm afraid that's the case."

"I need to be alone." Lynda abruptly blurted out, her breath coming in short gasps. "I need to be alone. Please. Both of you. Please."

"Of course." Zelda stood, hesitantly stepping back, as if she wanted to do something consoling, but couldn't think what. In the end all she could do was hand her the basin and the towel, murmuring a simple instruction on what to do with it before gently closing the door behind her. Navi was morosely following. The guards outside her door looked depressed.

Lynda's hand shook. The mark on the back of her hand felt heavy. Like a manacle. Like a metal ball that weighed her down and kept her to the spot. She couldn't stop the tears that fell, but she couldn't cry out, couldn't wail, because her throat would not work. Because if she did, if she did cry and scream and wept it meant she was giving up, she didn't want to give up, she didn't want to confirm what her tears were telling her, that she had no hope left.

What made it worse was the lack of rage. The lack of blood-lust. She had the power to murder the king, the mages, Serpine, every one of them that were causing her this pain, and yet she could not pick up her sword and hunt them down. She fought monsters. Not Hylians.

It was raining outside, she noticed bleakly. How fitting.

* * *

**And CUT!!!**

**Tell me you hate me. I know you do. XD**

**Just please, please, remember that I love happy endings. I love my characters, and I intend to give them happy endings. Just because it's not happening now it doesn't mean it won't.**

**One or two more chapters to go! \(0o0)/**

**Please review!!!**


	22. Empty Promises

**And so the story slowly comes to a close. I am so proud of my characters. Sniff. **

**Thanks to the people who have put me on favourites, alerts, and given me reviews. I'll put you up on the credits once the final chapter comes out. Oh, and the deal from now on, the faster you review me, the faster I type! XD BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!**

**I mean, come on. I'm slow as it is, give me the incentive to be fast, peoples!**

**Anyway... to the anonymous review replies....**

**_megane-tan_: You're lucky you came to read this so late, have you noticed the starting date of this story? Geese, it's like two years ago, THAT'S how long updating takes me. Ugh. Anyway, hope you like the chapter. **

**_HelloToday_: Thanks for all the praise, and no problem for the advice. I'm glad you like the chapter, and hope you like this chapter too. Though I gotta say I don't think I'll be writing an EarthBound story due to the fact that I don't know what the heck that is. XD**

**_Meg_: Oh yeah, the King'll be very, very lucky if he lives through this. XD I hope this chapter doesn't fall in expectations or anything since it is kinda short... but things do happen in it. Sorta.**

**P.S. FOR WATCHERANDREADER!!!**

**Sorry I put this up before you could get your betaed version back to me, but I got so excited and impatient I had to put this up. And I hope you're doing well in health, had a nice trip, and stuff like that. I also hope your computer survived. XP**

**ANYWAY... let's get on with the show!**

* * *

_**Empty Promises**_

"Hey," Navi whispered, "Listen."

The figure with the purple and orange aura stopped, and was incredulously annoyed. "Navi? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to tell you that before you go in there, she's had a rough time with the king, and if you do anything else to upset her I am going to have Ruto and Darunia and Nabooru do away with you."

"Al…right,"

"Good." She flew away, leaving him in the garden a confused and worried man, before he teleported to her windowsill.

Savir carefully stepped through the window, the rain clinging to his hair and clothes like miniscule crystal webs. It was light rain, and as soon as he brushed at them they sunk into the fabric, dampening only the surface. The Hylian shirt and breeches—both black—weren't as resilient to weather as his native clothing, but he didn't mind; he hadn't planned to stay outside anyway.

He glanced at the immobile princess, and the fairy's warning was apparent. She hadn't acknowledged his presence, despite her sitting at the chair only a mere metre away. She just stared into the night with her forehead attached to the window, the rain splattering outside reflected blankly into her eyes.

"Lynda."

She responded vaguely to her name, glancing at the kneeling man before her, only just comprehending the concern. "Hi."

A scowl crossed his masked face as he cupped her cheek, "What did the King do to you, Lynda."

A sad, sad smile crossed her lips, "Nothing much. Just … something."

Savir was not usually patient. Especially when someone he cared about was not telling him what was bothering her. "Lynda," he insisted, saying a little more firmly, "What did the king do to you?"

She gave a snort of pitiful scorn before saying, "I'm engaged."

Savir froze, for a second not understanding. The word sunk in, and it was heavy as metal.

"What…?"

"Zelda's barren, Savir. She can't produce an heir… or she's so unlikely to, that she'd be lucky to have a child, and then live through the process. So I… I'm going to replace her."

Bleakly she gave him her right hand, where the mark of the Bond lay like an imprint of a pearl, with miniscule hieroglyphics carved into its skin.

He snatched at her appendage, disbelief and horror written all over his visible eye as he stared at the innocent looking symbol.

He realised how stupid, how _idiotic_ he had been to not have seen it. _That _was why the King had suddenly wanted his second daughter back, he'd _known_.Of course; Zelda was a Sage, by rights and responsibility she wasn't allowed to be married. Damn it, why hadn't he seen it? Why hadn't he guessed?

Lynda abruptly stood and began to pace, frantic fear and panic writing itself on her face with her tears, "Zelda warned me she actually warned me but I didn't listen and I'm scared I haven't even met him not even in those stupid interviews that we had I just saw his father and he is a shifty bastard and if his son's like him I can't! I can't… the wedding night even _thinking_ about it much less with someone I don't even… I just-just _can't_…"

Warm hands cupped her cheeks; Lynda's head dipped up and she felt his hot lips touch her forehead. He pulled back after a moment, and in the face that looked down at her, even without the familiar scarf covering it and eyes that hid behind a fringe, Lynda saw a fierce fire.

"I'm not letting you go."

Lynda hiccoughed with misery. "But…"

"No, listen to me." his hands had moved from her cheeks to her arms, grasping them firmly, almost angrily, "I'm _not_ going to have you taken away from me. I'm _not_ going to let some stupid Duke have his way with you. We are going to escape just as planned, do you here me?"

"This is isn't that easy!" Lynda yelled, wrenching herself away from him, "This mark goes when and _only when_ he's done _doing_ me and I can't handle that! I can't! I've already tried everything I know to remove it and it just. won't. _go_!"

She surfaced from her hysteria as Savir gripped her shoulders, shook her urgently. Their eyes met, and his voice was fierce as he asked, "Can you handle this from _me_?"

"What-?" she made a sound that sounded close to a squeak as she felt his hot breath against her cheek, his hands firmly holding her head. His lips touched her skin, brushing against her lashes, and she closed her eyes as he kissed them. Lynda whimpered and blushed deeply as he slid down her face, sucking at her tear tracks, wiping them away. On the other he did the same; but Lynda's eyes opened wide as his tongue flickered out to touch her.

She gasped as he suddenly pressed her against him, letting, no, _making_ her feel the contours of his flesh through her flimsy gown. Her face could go no redder as he looked at her, cowl straggled around his neck, revealing the mouth that had so brashly caressed her skin. They were so close, his torso burning against her, his forehead nearly touching hers. He regarded her with not the playful amusement, or the wry resignation that she usually saw in him, but a contemplative seriousness that made him seem… hungry, possessive.

"Gods, Lynda," he muttered, nuzzling his face against her neck, "The thought of you belonging to someone wilfully or no, makes me want to tear this castle apart, murder the king that's giving you away like some gift and rip the man that intends to drag you through his bed limb from limb. I will do anything to keep you, without condition, without restraint, because without you I will bleed dry faster than a snowball in the desert."

He was angry. Angry with the King, angry with his father, Zelda, Impa, this unknown duke and less known son, and with himself, _especially_ with himself, because he had strayed from his Lynda's side and now she was being taken from him. He released her and held her gaze.

"Don't be upset. I'll make them take it back. I'll fight for you. So don't fret; you'll be just fine, alright?"

Then Savir shied at the look she was giving him, because it looked far from fine. His stomach lurched as he realised that he had been rash, he had been insensitive. His selfish need for her had made him step over the precious line he had always been barely conscious of, and now she was frightened of him.

He should leave. He'll give her time to collect herself, and himself to curse everything that he had said and done in the past fifteen minutes, and he would come back in the morning, offer her his company in their escape, if she still wanted it, after making perfectly sure that every inch of the throne room was painted with the blood of the King, the Duke and the man who had the audacity to even _think_ of marrying _his_ Lynda for the mere Hylian throne.

He was about to turn, mouth open with words of goodbye, when a hand clasped over his bicep, stopping his escape.

"Why do I mean so much to you?"

Savir met that blue gaze that haunted him, stuck his feet to the spot in awe, bent his knees with guilt, made him want to die and live at the same time with the sheer ferocity for life it had, and his throat would not work. He swallowed dryly, and said with difficulty, "I love you."

The hand was joined with another, and arms shaking in anxiety circled around his torso as his princess, _his_ princess buried her nose in his chest. "It's late. We should get to sleep."

Savir didn't miss the collective pronoun.

"Are you sure about this?"

They had a small staring contest, but it was the red eyes that yielded, moved the blankets and took off his shoes, let smoothing fingers take away the cowl that wrapped his face and brush away his fringe. A shy grin was pulling at blue eyes, as she tumbled in after him, curling into his embrace like a kitten as he pulled the blankets around their shoulders.

"I trust you," she said in answer.

A disappointed smile twitched his lips as he rolled over and wrapped an arm around her waist, slipping the other under the pillow so he could completely encase her in his embrace. "…Alright."

Lynda blew out the candle, and the room sunk into blissful darkness. She felt his heat seep into her, and she felt _safe, _unbelievably safe, even with the circle of magic that was burnt into the centre of the back of her hand.

But nervousness kept her awake as Savir's breath became longer and deeper. It was only when Lynda was sure that he was asleep that she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Her heart shuddered. It felt too good and unreal for everything to be like this, him so close, asleep, as she whispered into his relaxed face, "I love you too."

Nonetheless, the arm around her waist tightened and a glad red eye opened to regard her tenderly. She blushed as he whispered back, "Thank you."

"Damn you," she muttered, and he chuckled. He was glad too, that the sages wouldn't be after him in the morning to kill him.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When Lynda woke up it was still dark; the grey of predawn. She wondered why she didn't feel like moving, wondered why she'd woken up so early, and what was that dark silhouette sitting beside her…?

"Wait," she mumbled, groggily lifting herself up, "Stay. Please."

The silhouette turned and extended a hand out to her, brushing locks of her hair away from her face. Savir smiled. "I'm not going anywhere," he replied, gently holding her against his chest, "Not yet, anyway."

"Good," she sighed, pulling him down onto the pillows, "I'm sleepy, and you're warm. Get back down."

He laughed, and savoured her calm breath against his shirt. It was best thing he had felt in years. "I wonder what would happen if we were caught now."

Lynda froze. There was genuine terror in her face as she stared at him as if he were mad. "Don't. Don't even think it."

"I'm thinking it, and this is how I see it." He stroked her hair reassuringly, and she was distracted enough with the action for him to explain himself. "If, say, a maid or a manservant or even Zelda caught us in here right now, their conclusions would inevitably go for the worst. The story will catch incriminating detail before it reaches the King, and it'll grow worse as it reaches the townspeople. They would think you a loose-hinged girl with no sense of morality, and would want you out of the country in no time."

"And I want my reputation defiled because…?"

"It makes it a whole lot easier for me to kidnap you and there'll be fewer guards after us," he reasoned, "Zelda would be pitied, the King shamed, and this Duke and his son will never want to associate with Hyrule ever again. What more could we wish for?"

"Oh, I don't know, the lack of a sketch of your face on those 'Dead or Alive' posters?"

He chuckled. "Aside from that, it's a pretty full-proof scenario, no?"

"Well…"

"_What are you doing!?_"

"Then again," he muttered, as Lynda squealed and tumbled out of bed, "The good prospects of getting caught by someone _appropriate_ can stretch only so far…"

Navi was simply livid as she bounced about in the air, "Are you two _insane_? Do you know what's going to happen to you two if you get caught!? Savir where is your belt why are you in her _bed _and _Lynda_! Was this all part of your plan!?"

"No!" was her earnest protest as she untangled herself from the linen and the floor, "No it wasn't I swear Savir just kinda came along to cheer me up and… I'm okay now?"

Navi's glow flashed orange and green before settling to blue. "Fine, fine, fine! But _you_!"

"Damn it," Savir muttered, having thought that he had been forgotten,

"You better love her. You better take good care of her and I better have a couple of says in this relationship because I have been hanging around Lynda far longer than anybody outside the Kokiri so it's fair for me to say that I know what's best for Lynda and most importantly I am her spiritual guide so I am not going to be pushed aside for some _guy_ and even if those aspects didn't count there is no way in the Golden Realm I am going to leave you two alone forever because I am a fairy and I'm allowed to do it and you have some explaining to do like what you guys are going to do now and how you guys are going to cope with this and you _better _cope with this because you are with _my_ Lynda, _my_ Lynda so if you so much as upset her I will have all the sages behind me in a war of revenge!"

"Yes Navi." Savir spoke dutifully, although he wondered whether the fairy didn't get tired of using the same threat over and over again.

Navi huffed and said, "I'm giving you two minutes to get yourselves organized. Now chop-chop! The maids are coming real soon."

She slipped through the special compartment in the doorframe Zelda had made for her, muttering other things under her breath. Savir's and Lynda's eyes met, and the Princess burst out laughing.

"She kicked your arse!"

Savir had to admit to himself that he was miffed from the bout of berating. "She has no legs to kick me with, Princess,"

Lynda began to sing mockingly, "Navi kicked you a-arse, Navi kicked you're a-arse."

She squealed when she was tackled to the floor, the linen she had dragged down with her cushioning the blow. Savir straddled her as he trailed kisses up her neck, making his Princess gasp and moan. "You might want to consider stopping that," he purred against her cheek, "Because I might do something we'll both be in trouble for…"

Lynda blushed at the suggestive tone and pushed him away, grinning nervously. "Then let's do what Navi told us to do, shall we?"

Savir chuckled before rolling off; under a fold of blanket he found the belt he'd removed the night before. "So, what's going to happen now?" she asked him, handing him his cowl as he did his belt, "What do you have in mind?"

Savir gave her a devious smirk as he tied the garment around his neck. "You'd love it. I have it all planned out." He gave a dramatic pause before saying, "And I'm not going to tell you."

"_What_?"

"You prefer your surprises ruined?"

"I prefer no surprises _period_," she insisted as he sauntered over to the window he had come in through the other night, that playful smirk still rolling his lips upward.

"Ah, the more reason to keep it hushed then."

She hit him playfully in the arm. He rubbed the sore spot with a chuckle as he leaned against the windowsill, the new light playing in his hair. Lynda blushed at his intent gaze, looking down at their feet in an attempt to look unfazed. She flicked her gaze up. Savir was still staring.

Forcing the heat at her stomach to settle, Lynda grasped what little courage she had left and hugged him close. It startled him, which was a feat in itself. "I love you." She added, just to heighten the score.

"Me too," he replied, his tone tender and sincere, "Although I do have to admit that I love you just a tiny bit more than I love myself…"

She pulled away from him and huffed. "You egotistical bastard."

"I know," Savir replied, grinning for all he was worth, "You stubborn Princess."

"Say that again and I will do something to you."

He opened his mouth to tease her but the words walked out of his brain when Lynda coyly passed her hand through his hair, fingertips gently stroking against his scalp. She pressed herself into him, and her lips came dangerously close to his own, before they hastily side-tracked to the flesh of his cheek. When she retracted she was blushing like mad, her hand never leaving the nape of his neck.

Savir blinked again. "That… _was_ quite unexpected…" Then he grinned. "But I think you missed."

"Bastard," she muttered as he kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, his hot breath ghosting over her mouth as he slowly closed the gap…

"_OI_!"

Savir retracted, giving an aggravated sigh as blue light tried to blind him. Fairy wings batted Lynda's nose and the Princess tumbled back sneezing. Foiled _again_.

"One day…" Savir promised himself, "One day, I'm going to get you, _gas lamp_."

"Bring it on, _Bulk_," Navi snapped back, "Now _get_!"

"Navi," was Lynda's whining complaint.

What he wouldn't do for a bottle right about now… But he must be calm, for if he squashed this pest, right here, right now, bye-bye Lynda's love. "I am leaving, not because you told me to, _fairy,_ but because I have to." He leaned to the side and gave a quick wink in Lynda's direction, making her blush deeper. "The third time's the charm, Princess. And don't forget about what I said at the Colossus, when the time comes."

He clicked his fingers and there was a pulse of darkness and orange lights that swallowed him up to nothingness.

"Lynda," Navi asked her suspiciously, "What did he say at the desert?"

Lynda kept Navi's fate with the Shadow temple wisely to herself.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When somebody knocked onto her door at a time that was considered very un-majestic for a Princess to be awake, Zelda was very sure this was not a royal staff-member that was doing the knocking. She sighed, standing from her desk and book, slipping a ribbon to mark the page she had finished. Wrapping the woollen cloak tighter around her form, she opened the door and saw that it was Savir Varekai.

She was not particularly surprised.

"Come in," she suggested, before he opened his mouth, which was fixed in a very suggestive grin, "May I assume that you've heard?"

"Lynda's engagement?" The Sheikah closed the door with a decisive click, "I've heard."

"You sound almost cheerful."

"Oh believe me, I'm furious," Savir snickered, and his eyes flashed with his rage, "I'm just really good at hiding it. You know, years of practice, under the Queen's service."

Zelda's eyes were flat, but they hid her renewed fear of this man. The one that was standing before her in the rage that was displayed in his pleasant smile, was not the man Lynda loved, but the man that had helped bring Zelda's kingdom down in the Lost Seven Years. Zelda realised that she had known, in the back of her mind, that she had seen this coming, seen the fact grow in front of her eyes for so long that she had hardly known that it was there.

If Savir had shucked the name and the background of Sheik, if he had lived _these_ seven years without being used by her family, he would not have this rage, this pent up bloodlust for her parents. It was only Lynda's heart, constant in affection after all the twists and bends in time, that tempered his immense dislike for her, Zelda, his lover's sister. He was the man that he was in Ganondorf's reign because Zelda had not exacted fair judgement, but revenge on him, by refusing his identity and his innocence.

"What do you want, Savir?" she said, carefully, curling the hand that held the Triforce under her cloak, in case of battle.

"Oh, you know, to ask for permission, almost… well, a warning, really," ho-hummed, clasping his hands behind his back almost innocently. "You see, I think the throne room needs redecorating."

"Oh?"

"I thought red. I think the king's blood will make a nice coating. Poetically ironic, you know? Oh, and that duke and his son, too. The one that Lynda won't be able to marry, since he'll be dead as soon as I know who he is. What do you think? Can I? Please?"

Zelda turned pale. Her knees buckled, and she grabbed a chair to hold her balance. "You… you intend to…?"

"Well of course," Savir huffed with annoyance, "The only way I can see Lynda getting out of this is either the bastard refuses to marry her, or the bastard dies. Now, if the marriage proposal's going ahead, I'm assuming I believe quite rightly so in saying the bastard is in full support of screwing with _my_ woman, so option two seems the way to go. More satisfying, too.

"Or you know, I was thinking of asking the sages a favour, give him a colourful end, like maybe frozen to death in the middle of the field with some rosebushes growing under his skin and volcano fumes in his lungs and the poes shrieking round his corpse so his soul won't go to the Shadow temple for judgment and make him feel _awesome_ pain."

"You mustn't!" Zelda cried out, panic written across her features, "That would scream their involvement and that could lead us to war! The Hylians will demand revenge from all the races and the Sheikah will be blamed as well and the Duke's country will want retribution for a lost aristocrat!"

His tone was petulant. "I could take the rest and exterminate their whole kingdom, if you like?"

"No! Then the other countries will get involved and-"

"Yeesh, settle down, you're ruining all my fun," Savir rolled his eyes and smirked. "Then-?"

"_No_! You _mustn't_! You mustn't touch the King, or the Duke, or his son!"

"Why not?" Savir taunted, grinning like a shark, red eyes flashing with power. "I've been lenient all these years, Zelda, I've been patient. Seven years, I thought, I've lived through it, I'll live through it again. I'll rise up the ranks, as before, and I'll earn my right to freedom, because guilt did have it's hold on me at first. It rusted away, I have to admit, but right before I did something drastic against this palace, Lynda came along, and she healed me. You owe her for that. And right now, her perception of happiness solely lies with me, and mine with hers. I'm _free_, now Zelda, _free_ to do what ever I want, _have_ what ever I want, and right now, I want to get rid of what's stopping me from having Lynda by my side."

"_Murder_, is not the answer!"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of _manslaughter_. Murder just seems too clean."

"Why are you telling me this?" was Zelda's hiss, "When you know I'll do everything to stop you?"

"You won't," he told her kindly, almost sadly, like he was explaining to a child that Subra, the Subrosian saint that wore red-and-white and rode caterpillars with bells on their legs and rewarded children with presents under their beds every winter was a big, fat, _lie_, "Not once you've seen this."

Savir grabbed her face and Zelda yelled and she tried to close her eyes but she couldn't because Savir's red irises were so dilated that his pupils were black holes, and they showed a shadowy figure wearing a ceremonial wedding gown, shivering with fright, being stalked by another figure, a man, that shifted from fat to skinny to tall to short to muscled to frail, and he touched her shoulder, and the newly-wed wife slapped his hand away and the man raised a hand and he smacked her and she retaliated but she was smacked the other way and tumbled to a bed and they struggled and her dress was ripped from her and-

"_No_!" Zelda tore herself away, dropping to the floor, trying to cover her ears and eyes.

"You really want that to happen?" Savir asked her, with a tone that was best used giving an opinion on which dress, the purple or the pink one, to buy. "I'm not a prophet, so all I showed you was just my imagination, but I think it'll be a whole lot worse, don't you think?"

"Lynda… oh Nayru…"

"Zelda," Savir sighed, as he kneeled down and tipped Zelda's chin up to make her meet his gaze, "Just tell me the Duke's name, and I will have his throat. I will cut him, and Lynda would be safe."

Zelda's tone was scathing. "But will she be safe from _you_?"

"Zelda, I'm genuinely hurt," Savir wore an appropriately sad expression, "Really, do you consider me so heartless that I'd do that? I _love_ her, Zelda. There is nothing in this world that will make me hurt her. Or is it because I seem to be so excited about the idea I'll be a murderer? Princess, I know Lynda's going to hate my guts if I _really _did all those things, so why would I even bother? All I'm doing right now is bitching and complaining, and asking your permission, since you're the King's daughter, to get rid of at _least_ the duke's son. And no, I don't find pleasure in hurting people. That's just sick. Although imagining it is kinda fun, sometimes. But for future reference, I'll tell you now I find people worrying and getting scared more amusing then anything else. What was my point again?"

Zelda slapped his hand away and Savir winced and shook the now sore appendage. "You're insane."

"Oh, hardly," Savir smiled, and then clicked his fingers in remembrance. "Right! I'm trying to persuade you that I'm a good guy!"

"You consider that possible?"

"I admit it'll perhaps take me years, but whoever said I couldn't start?" was his easy grin. Zelda noticed there was a lack of rage in his stance. "But seriously, _would_ I go so far as to ask your permission to do these things if I knew you were going to stop me?"

There was a pause, and the sheepish, hopeful smile melted away. His shoulders slumped as Savir drained of rage and revenge and the urge to rend things to shreds. "Zelda," he whispered, "I'm terrified for her. If you couldn't undo the bonds, how could I? You know the issue isn't power; even if I did get rid of that mark, how do I know my magic won't damage her hand? I might risk it if it were her right… but if I mess up she might never be able to hold a sword. That would kill her."

His eyes were pleading. Zelda realised with shock that after all these years, it was the first time Savir had ever gotten close to begging. Her heart twisted for Lynda.

"Murder is still not the answer."

Savir threw his hands into the air to cry out in exasperation. "I'll make it look like an accident if I have to! I'll leave it to killing one person instead of three; I'll make it quick, clean, whatever you want! Or I'll hire men, does that make it better?"

"No!" Zelda snapped, "Just give me time! I will personally look into their past, at their lineage, and I will find anything that will free her. Give me three weeks! Is that so much to ask?"

Savir shook his head. To him a death was a necessity with or without his rage, for bribes were out of the question, and blackmail did not last forever.

"Just so you know," he sighed, "I would've been a whole lot nicer to you if Lynda and I were intending to stay here. But since we're not, you're in the way, even if you _are_ Lynda's sister."

"So…?" Zelda crouched, and beneath her cloak the Triforce glowed.

Purple fire burst from his hands, "To protect her, I'm going to drag that name out of you by force."

"_Try it_!"

With a guttural yell Savir threw his weight into the punch against the shield of blue light Zelda erected, and the purple flames roared and backfired on him. Yelling, he was thrown against Zelda's cabinet, and his spine threatened to snap in two at the contact.

He groaned. Zelda let her shield down and golden energy immersed her fingers. They slipped and slid like strings of a marionette, and they glided, stealthily, towards Savir's still form…

There was a blur and a _boom_ and Zelda was thrown back whacking against the wall as Savir leapt black lightening crackling his knuckles Zelda ducked _crash_ there was soot all over the wall now and Zelda rolled and orange stars scratched his face as he kicked for her abdomen a magic barrier repelled him and Zelda's strings hissed and flailed like whips of fire and he had five shadows that stood next to him, took the golden blows and they died sticky shadowy deaths as blades thin as needles flashed in between his fingers.

Zelda rolled away as Savir stabbed the ground and she _pulled_ at Time and the seams between this world and the next and with the borrowed power formed twin scimitar knives with long handles, and she countered Savir's blows of metal like a true warrior Princess.

Damn, Savir thought, _Impa_.

Damn, he also thought, why do I need Ganondorf _now_?

He rolled his wrists and black lightening crackled round his hands again only they gathered and writhed into a ball and he threw it and there was a flash of remembrance and fear on Zelda's face as she swiped her knife at the thing and cut it in half and it fizzled away. Sheik threw another and Zelda cut it with the other scimitar. They were both gasping and sweat was gleaming on their foreheads.

"Nice weapons," Savir complimented her idly.

"_Weapon_." She hissed, emphasising the singular. She thrust the pommels of the two blades together and there was a burst of light and her golden tendril connected the two blades together and Savir hissed with annoyance because it was a damn bow and Zelda had a light arrow caught in it, not the spell, but a real, pure, _light arrow_.

"You will sleep until you can think calmly, rationally, and finished with being tempted into rash actions."

Savir bared his hands shaped into claws at her and shoved, as if he were trying to squash something in between his hands. Her bow crackled with the energy it had just cut in half and it rocketed through her arms to her body and she convulsed with a short scream.

She crumpled.

Savir sighed. He carefully walked over to her and rolled her onto her back. She had a nosebleed. "Sorry I had to resort to cheating," he said to her, and her eyelids fluttered, with what seemed to be pity and plea. He looked uncomfortably away, noting almost wistfully that only a few months ago this sort of victory would have been the stuff of his wildest, fanciful dreams.

He touched her forehead, and _shoved_.

His magic whirled through her mind. Her memories. She is worried, she goes to Lynda, his Lynda who looks _ecstatic_ with that beautiful smile, and they speak and Lynda scowls and they're walking. They go to the ballroom, they bow and the contrasting similarities of the sisters amuse him and there, the name is spoken.

There, the man accepting the King's camaraderie embrace, the name, Duke Serpine.

Savir blinked, and a wide, vicious smirk rose on his face, and its magnitude of malice and bloodlust woke Zelda enough for her to speak.

"No… don't…"

"I _will_," he pleasantly promised, his red eyes gleaming, "For I know of him. You know, from my old job, under the thumb of your mother."

Zelda whimpered. "Lynda…"

"She'll be safe," he promised her, with more sincerity, "I'll take her away from here, as soon as the deed is done. I'll keep her happy, by my life. Rest easy, Zelda, you'll have one less grub in your court."

He stood, dusted his tunic down, and tottered on his feet a little. He cursed; he had used _a lot_ of magic.

Then, carefully, he left through Zelda's door, walked down the corridor, and making sure the shadows were empty of Impa's presence, entered it, and warped away.

* * *

**So did you like it? It would make it easier for me to know if you review, don't you think?**

**And think faster updates, people. Faster updates.**


	23. Truth of Freedom

_**Hello!!!**_

**Did you notice the sign? Did you notice the sign that says this is COMPLETE!!? OMG it's Complete! I've shocked myself.**

**To be honest, I was a little sad as well as relieved to have finished this. You do not know how many times I've read the chapter over making sure that it was worht it and such and I havem't forgotten any loose ends or something. But I'm relieved because it's done, I actually finished something, and maybe I could write oterh fanfics or concentrate on homework and stuff.**

**... I like the idea of writing a whole lot more than homework, i must say...**

**Anyway, thankyou so much for reading this far through! Now onto the anon review replies:**

**_Minid0rk:_ I hope this is to your liking. XD**

**_Dewey:_ I love Navi. She can be annoying sometimes, but I ultimately love her.**

**_Meg:_ Yeah, I thought the three could work together, but... nah, Savir's too used to playing solo. And Lynda wouldn't comfortable with open killing, and Zelda, well, considering her position it's not exactly a good idea. But everything works out in the end!**

**_Hellotoday:_ Dude, Sheik's hated Zelda for YEARS, you can't possibly expect him to suddenly like her, and this is his sweetheart we're talking about. Considering his personality, I'm surprised i didn't make him go kill the king straight up. He's improved very much on the personality scale. XP. Huh, I didn't know earthbound was Ness, but nah, I won't be writing a fanfic on him cuz I don't know enough. And I like Zelda better.**

**And that's about it. ENJOY!!**

_

* * *

Truth of Freedom_

Duke Serpine and his Son were coming in a week. This was for certain.

And it made Lynda sick.

For the past three days she had worn gloves, or gauntlets, or even bandages and overly large bracelets to hide her mark. Revulsion coiled her gut. Anger burnt her heart. Humiliation tore at her muscles. The mark sat on her hand like a ball of lead, heavy and poisonous. If this was what Savir had felt like for every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year… Lynda couldn't imagine a more harrowing and depressing feeling.

Lynda was in fact rather surprised that he hadn't degenerated into a mass-murdering-psychopath that surpassed Ganondorf.

Her few consoling thoughts kept her head above a sea of blind panic. Zelda was doing everything in her subtle power to find out everything she could on Serpine Junior and collect enough dirt off him to get the King to abolish the marriage. Lynda didn't know what Savir was doing, but she was sure he would be doing _something_, and compounded with the thought of him having survived a similar sort of prison, if not a worse one for longer than her, Lynda had the feeling that she could too.

But the memory with the bandit in the forest came in her dreams, and the scars in her side and shoulder hurt, and one night she found herself screaming awake, for a second her hands so wet that they seemed to be drenched in blood, but it was only her sweat.

Avoiding waking Navi, she snuck out her window and walked through the gardens, quiet and invisible as the breeze. She went to a mound of earth, not so old, really, and began to dig in it, and her fingers soon caught the fold of cotton and wool she had wrapped around her bad memories, and retrieved it.

For a whole night she found herself staring at the knife that she had bid farewell to, the one that she had wrapped like a dead body and buried in the garden. She stared at the frayed wooden handle and the serrated edge of the blade, and the murder with which she'd committed to defend herself.

Would Savir still love me, Lynda couldn't help but wonder... if I stabbed Junior through the heart, provocation or no?

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Zelda was sitting on the Queen's throne, and Lynda in Zelda's. The King gave a satisfactory smile as the attendants of the Serpine Dukedom arranged themselves along the royal purple carpet that led the Royal household.

The Sage of Time was immensely relieved that Savir had not resorted to murder. But there was still that immense worry that he would do something rash in the throne room itself, for it was plain that he had an ill-will towards her father too…

Lynda's hidden knuckles were white as they clenched on the folds of her dress.

Zelda had found nothing. She had found no dirt, no problem, not even a history concerning Serpine Junior.

There was a record of his birth, but that in itself was a simple piece of paper without the usual pomp and detail of his father and mother and cousins and connections. It didn't even have the time of his birth, who was present at the moment he entered the world, not even the mother's name.

He had been educated briefly on his home estate before being moved to a school, or so it said, for there was no school that existed under the name that was proffered, and there was no record of the boy in any of the universities around.

He had appeared and reappeared like a poe. This fact alone could not be considered dirt, it was only dust, and the Serpine Dukedom could pat it off as easy as they pleased. Did not the approval of Royalty make up for it enough?

But she did find out one thing, though how useful the information could be was doubtful.

His name was Zant.

Lynda had the knife down her glove. She could feel its splintering handle against her skin, and it was rubbing its dirt on her. She could feel the pace of her heart quickening, faster, and faster, but slowly, so slowly that she could hardly tell it was happening, and it was winding her tighter than a coiled spring, because as soon as he was close, as soon as he made a move to suggest that she would rue the day she turned her back on him, she would scream and lose her mind and would go on a rampage.

Even Navi would not be able to stop her.

The attendants of Serpine raised their trumpets and blew. The oak doors of the Throne-room yawned wide open, and Duke Serpine lead with more attendants bearing gifts for the Royal family, and behind them, striding with controlled patience, was a man that had to be Zant.

Lynda wasn't quite sure whether to call him ridiculous or ominous. But the fact that she couldn't see his face tightened her already stressed gut.

He wore a helmet that looked like a cone from afar, but as he got closer she could make the details of bulging eyes and small teeth framing a rolled tongue, and it was hideous and monstrous and if this was the kind of mask you wore to your fiancée… Lynda felt sick.

His shoes were solid gold, or something that shone like it. The sleeves of his cloak billowed hollowly with the tendrils of cloth that lined it, and the bright green embroidery over the black cloth, and the clay-red tabard that could only hold the symbol of his household were eerie in their shape and shade, and Lynda had to go for ominous to describe him. Because at the door he looked like a mismatched wannabe-priest. Close up he just looked like a powerful mage.

Serpine bowed. His son didn't.

King Harkinian seemed to let it slide, however. He rose as soon as Serpine did, and Zelda did so also.

Navi buzzed, and her blue light was almost white, though Lynda didn't see. The fairy sighed, and gently pressing a wing against Lynda's hair, murmured, "Everything's going to be alright."

Lynda couldn't rise, nor hear, because she was shaking so much. Navi purred her wings against her ear a little more and that calmed her a little, but the knife was still there, in her glove, reminding the princess that all it took was one lunge, one swing, right in the middle of his chest…

"Rise, my daughter," Harkinian prompted her, "Meet your future husband."

Husband. Oh Furore, she prayed, don't let it happen. Don't.

Lynda rose from her chair, face white as milk, and descended the steps to the throne. She remembered that Zant was supposed to approach her, but he didn't. He was as still as a statue.

Then a voice that could only belong to the masked man spoke out. "I'll not marry her."

Lynda froze. Had he…? Had he really…?

"Zant," Serpine's voice was carefully restrained, "What nonsense-"

"I said I'll not marry her, _father_, if she doesn't wish my hand in marriage."

Lynda's hope surged. She opened her mouth to cry out her thoughts, her wants and her desperate wish to not marry him, but Harkinian barked with black laughter, "What's this, Serpine? Hadn't your son expressed great honour to marry my daughter?"

"Forgive him, my Lord, he-"

"I'll not give myself over either, under the name Serpine or Zant, nor as one of your country. My people are of the shadows, my name was handed by my mother, and my bond is tied with the one I desire." His sleeves went slack as he retracted his arms into his torso and the cloth bunched around his neck as if a hand was grabbing it from underneath, and it lurched and was lifted, it churned in the air before dropping, and there Serpine's son stood, and without the pomp and grandeur he was a man in overly shiny clogs, baggy trousers that was tied around his hips with a midnight sash, and a simple white shirt that accented the curve of his jaw and the beads in his ears, and made his eyes as bright as jewels.

Lynda's heart seized up. The helmet clanged against the floor. He smiled at her.

And then she was running, running, and he was walking towards her and the King roared in outrage as Serpine cringed and Lynda launched herself in his arms, and he held her, spun her in the air and laughed at her relieved tears that splashed her face.

When she was brought down they clung onto each other, the princess muttering his name over and over into his chest: "Savir, Savir… oh gods, it's you, it's you, it's you…"

"All aboard the Sheikah express line to Wherever," he teased against her ear, "It'll cost you a kiss though, lady."

"Gladly," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her cheeks, thumbs wiping her sorrow away as they drew closer-

And was promptly wrenched away.

"Oh _come on_!" The Sheikah yelled exasperatedly, fighting rather fruitlessly against the soldiers that were dragging him away and cursing at him for so much as _touching_ their beloved princess and _making her cry_, you bastard, "Give me a break!"

Navi was laughing hysterically shrieking something about everything happening in threes, as Zelda gave a relieved and lopsided sigh and smile, the King ordering his troops furiously to send Serpine and his son to the holding cells. The other soldiers that were fussing over Lynda's safety were puzzled at her shaky smile and her wet face, the way that she shook her head and politely waved them off, and the look in her eyes, her eyes that seemed to be the deepest shade of the summer sky, floating and shining with glorious joy.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

It was dark here, and possibly deliberately damp and slimy. The fires the braziers held were smoky and small, and definitely not warm. The bars that held him were eroded, and there were no manacles or chains that held him to a wall. Perhaps the soldiers had been too afraid to tie him down, or maybe the Princess had not allowed them to.

Either way, Savir was alright with being there if only the smell wasn't so bad…

Hm? Was it actually getting better?

He peeled himself off the wall and stood as firelight danced nearer to him, and the hand that cast the light came into view. A figure wearing a green tunic and brown undershirt and leggings came into view, long hair tied back in a lopsided pony-tail. There was no wood holding the flame, just the hand, and it belonged to the woman he loved.

"Hi there," Lynda cocking an eyebrow, Navi close behind, "You alright?"

"Well," he replied casually, leaning leisurely against the bars, "You've made me feel a whole lot more comfortable just by getting some air in. It stank, to be honest."

"You're right, there," Lynda agreed, making a face. "Three whole hours in this place would've driven me mad."

"I distinctly recall the Shadow Temple smelling a whole lot worse, Hero," Savir snickered, "You should give yourself more credit on your survival threshold."

"Oh please," Lynda rolled her eyes, flicking a spark in his general direction, "My survival threshold is nothing compared to yours."

"Hey, are you here to chat, or are you here to _chat_?" Navi butted in, "Because I'm still here, you know."

Savir scowled at the fairy and she counterattacked by making a sound that suspiciously resembled a raspberry. She then flew away, possibly to guard the door.

Lynda shrugged helplessly as she stepped up to the door, and the key-hole that kept it locked surrounded by metal heavily charmed to make it impossible to open with magic. Extinguishing the flame in her hand, the princess extracted a key from a pocket of her tunic and scraped it in, and with some few difficult twists she unlocked the door. Savir quickly grabbed her wrist and dragged her in and embraced her, and Lynda gave out a surprised squeak.

She broke away from him roughly and huffed, placing her fists on her hips. "Now what's the big idea?"

Savir blinked. "Um… I missed you?"

"No, actually, I was going more along the lines of, _why_ didn't you tell me that I was engaged to you?"

"I didn't know."

"It _seemed_ like you did when you came this morning?"

"Alright, alright," he conceded, "I found out after we'd said goodbye, happy?"

"No!" was her indignant reply, "You still didn't tell me! You could've at least saved me the trouble of worrying who _Zant_ was going to be but no, no, you just have to show off and come in all dramatic and save the _damsel in distress_. Well I wasn't helpless, if that was what you were thinking."

Savir sighed and tried to hold her hand. She pulled away, scowling. "Lynda," he spoke pleadingly, "Lynda I'm sorry, but I had my own problems to sort out-"

"What problems?" Lynda cried out exasperatedly, "Maybe I'm overreacting and being totally selfish, but I seemed to have the bigger problem of that time!"

"Lynda-"

"I _nearly stabbed you_!"

Savir recoiled this time, for he couldn't understand how he could've screwed up so badly with his relationship with his Princess. If you could even call it a relationship…

"I nearly stabbed you, Savir," Lynda moaned, pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead, as with her other hand, she extracted the knife that seemed to be the source of all her fears, "I had this in my glove, and if I got the feeling that I was going to regret ever turning my back on the man that proposed to me, I was going to stab him and run. And it's not the first time. I've… I've killed, Savir, once. It was to protect myself, but I still killed, and… gods I didn't want that to be _you_, I don't want you to think that I…"

"Lynda," he said, taking hold of her wrist and gently pulling it away from her forehead, "It's alright."

"It's not, it's not, because I'm still so scared about the idea of marrying, of… of _giving myself up_. I've lived fighting and now I don't know how to stop, and it frustrates me, it really does, I… I don't know what to do anymore. I mean, are we still escaping, or are we staying, or…?"

"Come here," he whispered to her, "Come on, sit down with me."

He gently guided her to the corner of the cell, furthest from the light of the brazier in the wall. He sat, and he pulled her into his lap, and she didn't spurn him, so he held her waist, and she nestled her nosed next to his neck and sighed.

"The problem," Savir confided, "I had to deal with was basically the decision of whether to kill my father or not."

Lynda laughed. "My, aren't we an evil pair."

"Well, I think I win the prize on the evil levels, since I was willing to kill my flesh and blood. In my defence, though, he did send me off to be the castle sex-toy and took me back just to give me over to a marriage that I wasn't even informed about."

"He's been stupid, eh?" she shifted in his lap and sighed. "Aren't you his only son?"

"He thought he'd have another," Savir chuckled, "His lawful wife only gave him daughters, before and after I was born. My mother wasn't weak, she was just, young, I guess. She couldn't handle a child, and died soon after. She came from the tribe I took you to, and I don't remember how old I was, but Impa took me to the Castle, and Zelda recognised me. I was under her charge for a while, at least, but then the Queen took interest in me. You know the rest.

"The reason I was struggling between the idea of killing him off or not was… you."

"Me?"

"Well I couldn't have you hating me for some petty revenge, now could I?"

Lynda gave a nondescript hum, as if she wasn't quite sure whether she agreed with him or not. Silence hung between them like a warm veil, as the heat from each other's bodies soaked through their clothes and hearts. Lynda shifted her position again, worrying if she was cutting off his circulation in his legs.

"We're a twisted couple, aren't we?"

"A little, yeah."

"What… what would you say to staying?"

"…I don't know," Savir gently moved her to face him, and cocked his head to the side. "What do you think?"

"I… don't want to give up going out."

"But you'll miss your friends here."

He could see her lower her head, as if shamed, and give a small nod. He laughed and kissed her hair. "Let's stay."

"…Really?"

"I don't see why not," Savir shrugged, scratching his head idly, "Going by the way things are getting handled, I don't think they'll make us marry until the king gives up looking for another candidate for you. And that'll take a while, so there'll be plenty of time for us to get used to the idea. And then there'll be delays like the Queen's funeral-"

"The Queen? She's… not, dead yet?"

"That's exactly my thought. Anyway, there'll be that, and other things, like approvals from the other races, and considering we know them it should be easy to get, the feud between the Hylians and the Sheikah would have to settle somewhat too, not to- oh, damn, if you think about it, there'll assassination attempts on us."

Lynda laughed, as if assassins were either so trivial she couldn't give a toss or she found them a thrilling challenge, "I'm more concerned about the ruling bit."

"I can handle that?" was Savir's hopeful suggestion. At the stony silence he received he sighed and conceded, "We could always let Zelda handle it in the background… and in between that I'm sure we can find time to disappear and camp around?"

There was a pause, as if she was thinking it over. Her grip around his neck tightened, and the hug lasted a long, long time before Lynda let out a sigh and admitted, "That'd be good. That'd be… really good."

Savir's lips twitched upwards. "Are you crying on me Princess?"

"No, I'm not."

"You're one cry-baby of a hero, aren't you?"

"I'm not!"

"Really? Ow! Hey that _hurt_,"

"Who's a cry-baby now?"

"You _punched_ me in the gut Princess,"

"So? I'm not the one who's crying."

"Let's see, then," burning hands caught her cheeks and pulled her close, so close that their noses brushed and even in the virtual darkness they could see each other's faces. "Hm. No tears."

"Told you so."

"I had my doubts."

"Kiss me."

"Gladly…"

His breath ghosted over her mouth; she leaned in and was caught, caught by his lips and love and warmth. Her eyes closed to a new darkness, filled with her senses describing every touch of his lips and hair and hands, and she melted into everything it offered. Her arms circled his neck as his reached around her torso, drawing her closer. They parted, and then met again, tender strokes of flesh on flesh, breath mingling, moaning on Lynda's part as Savir held her tighter, lightly deepening the kiss. She retracted, mewling like a kitten, but his hold on her guided her back, and she came, because it was what they both wanted, needed, the mutual warmth and love and relief, the solace of another body against their own.

Savir held her tightly when they truly broke their kiss, feeling her sigh shudder through her frame. He laughed. "I cannot believe it took me three tries to finally get you to kiss me."

"_I _can't believe that this supposedly romantic first-kiss is happening in a cell."

She was right, of course. But Savir couldn't help but appreciate the irony. They were in a slimy dungeon, with him as prisoner and no light around, and it was hardly an appropriate scenario but… he had to ask now, for he had a sudden lurching feeling that he would have no better chance than this, "Will you marry me?"

Lynda nodded, "I will."

"Thank gods," was his sigh, "I wouldn't last without you."

"Ditto."

And they sat there together in the dungeon for a while, savouring their time alone. They concentrated on what they would do tomorrow, and the day after that, for they daren't imagine the possibilities of the distant future, so uncertain they were.

But the day would come when the two would be wearing white, take their turns in speaking their oaths and trade their rings, and a stone cut in half by the power of their blood, as the Sheikah tradition dictated.

Of course there would be delays of maybe a few months of political upheaval where all other aristocrats tried to find loopholes in their union and plenty of duels performed by the men, add on a year of mourning for the queen which was prolonged because rumours spread that it was a sign of bad luck, and a few more weeks from assassination attempts (which quickly stopped after the fury the future-king-consort showed when his future-wife-queen was targeted for the first time), inevitable preparations, last minute threats and pleas, gifts of congratulations from the Hylian alliance, and lots of signing of treaties between all sorts of people, but that gave plenty of time for everybody to get used to the idea of having a wild-child queen and a red eyed king-warlock.

But there would be bells and birds and a clear blue sky, the blessings of the triad, and they would kiss once more.

And the crowd would cheer with glorious joy.

The End.

* * *

**_CREDITS_**

**Story Alert Credits:**

-xX Twilit Memories Xx- Baronfly BlazeStarre Burning Frost Canadian Hobbit Col - Remy's Girl Coriyana Dark-kitsune-dreams Datenshi-Moon Dazja Deviate Fish Dolphin River Dragongal333 DragonWolfStar Fingers905 Forest Girl Kaz FreeTheChickens Gowa Grumpy lump Healing Sword hellcat805 HumanRiot I wish I had skills Inverness Kiara victory Tatsu Kori Namida Kurotorachan Lady Alamantia LadyoftheDrow LambSam LeinGoDsFAYt littlegreenparrot LordBahamut'sgirl Louiii Maigo no Eien Mairu - The Lost Sheikah MintWhisper Moonleaf13Neocala Nox Noctis of Eternus Luna Open Yazumi's heart Skulls Random-Kitty-Yuffie Raynre Valence - Sage of Time Sachiko V Secret13Shichibi no Kuroneko simbiot2.0sliverchain Sophister Steel Heart Super Goat Grl Swiftrivers The Dweller of The Deep The Ninja Squirrel TheWatcherandReader TrueBardDrakona TwilightComet Umbrae Calamitas wolfofsummerbreeze Wufie-the-back-side-slayer Xajora XenoKosMos

**Favourite Story Credits:**

-xX Twilit Memories Xx- Ami Metallium Atamusk Baronfly Bullsxxtcity Burning Frost Canadian Hobbit Coriyana Datenshi-Moon Deviate Fish Dragongal333 fluffykittycat Forest Girl Kaz Giz-mix Grumpy lump Healing Sword Herooftimes HumanRiot Hyrulian Hero Akai Inverness just add water lily karaku-chan karkashan Kiara victory Tatsu Kigai Uchida Lady Alamantia LadyOfTheBlackWaters LadyoftheDrow Link-the-hylian littlegreenparrot LordBahamut'sgirl Louiii Maigo no Eien Mairu - The Lost Sheikah Qazplm rampaging-poet Raven the Joker Raynre Valence - Sage of Time Sachiko V Sparda's Kitten Steel Heart Super Goat Grl The Ninja Squirrel TwilightComet Umbrae Calamitas Ume The Ninja Vampyre Angel King Demetri Xajora Yuja YukuAmayaMizuki

**C2 Credits**

Compass Rose, Korrd's Favourites, Sadfru's Favourites Sheikah Followers The Golden Land


End file.
